Before I had my black truck—the one that I eventually traded in because it was breaking down constantly—I drove a 2007 Nissan Maxima. I bought it cash with the settlement I received after a crazy car accident where I was the first and most heavily impacted victim. It was a multi-car collision, and while three vehicles were totaled, including my own, by some miracle, I survived despite not wearing a seatbelt.
But that’s a story for another day.
After everything calmed down and I got back on my feet, I bought that 2007 Maxima.
A couple of years later, in 2009, my wife and I started a business. By 2011, however, things weren’t going the way I had envisioned. My wife was building her reputation as a YouTuber and video producer. She was getting companies to sponsor her content, sending products and opportunities her way, and we were making money. But it wasn’t the consistent income that you need when you’re running a business full-time.
Our goal was simple: run a business that not only covered our bills but also allowed us both to be home with our family while earning a living. Yet, we weren’t there yet.
Then one day, my wife said something that struck me. She said, “Man, if I could just get $10,000, I could really get this thing going.”
The next day, as I was driving back to work on my lunch break, I heard a commercial on the radio—something I rarely listened to. It was an ad for a title loan company. They said, “Bring us the title to your car, and we’ll give you a loan.”
And it hit me.
Right there, as I was driving, I realized, “I’m sitting in that $10,000.”
I was driving around in the very thing that could fund our business—the Maxima. It wasn’t essential to our day-to-day life anymore. I didn’t need it the way I once thought I did. So, I made the decision to sell it.
That decision was about more than just selling a car; it was about investing in ourselves. It was about leveraging what we had, right then and there, to move toward our bigger goal.
Within two months of selling the car and using the money to jumpstart our business, my wife won a contest for $35,000. It was a grant that gave us the boost we needed. We started making real progress, and while I didn’t quit my job right away, that decision to leverage what we had was the catalyst for everything that followed.
What’s the lesson here? Sometimes, we get caught up in what we don’t have, waiting for the perfect opportunity, the perfect conditions, or the perfect timing. But the reality is, often, the things we need to push forward are already within our reach.
It’s about making the most of the meantime. It’s about recognizing the value of the resources we already have and choosing to invest them wisely. In our case, selling that car didn’t just help us financially—it opened the door to future success and set us on the path toward achieving our ultimate goals.
You don’t need a perfect plan or perfect timing; you need action. And Mastering the Meantime is about just that. It’s about leveraging today for tomorrow’s success.
Fifteen years later, I’m so happy I sold my Maxima to invest in our business. That experience taught me invaluable lessons about leverage and patience, lessons that continue to shape my journey today.
Now, I’m excited to share even more of those lessons in a new project I’m working on. I’ll be diving into more details in my upcoming posts. It’s a short book that shares the title of this post and I know it will be a helpful companion on your daily journey, as you work toward your own goals and dreams.
Until next time, with love always,
Coach B
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