NFA Finance

For most of my life, I chased money.

Not because I was greedy.

Because I thought money solved problems.

And to be fair, it does.

Money can buy a reliable car.

Money can buy a nice house.

Money can buy experiences.

Money can create opportunities.

Money can remove stress.

But one day I realized something that completely changed the way I looked at life.

Money can come back.

Time can’t.

I’ve spent more than 25 years in business.

I’ve bought and sold thousands of cars.

Built businesses.

Made money.

Lost money.

Started over.

Won.

Lost.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:

The older you get, the faster time moves.

When I was younger, a year felt like forever.

Now it feels like I blink and another one is gone.

I still remember being a young guy trying to figure out the car business.

Now somehow I’ve spent 25 years in it.

I still remember holding my daughter when she was little.

Now she’s nearly grown.

I still remember conversations with people who aren’t here anymore.

At the time, I thought there would always be another conversation.

Another dinner.

Another phone call.

Another chance.

Life doesn’t work that way.

One day you realize the things you thought would last forever were actually temporary.

That’s when your perspective starts to change.

You stop asking how much something costs.

You start asking how much time it costs.

You stop chasing every opportunity.

You start protecting your calendar.

You stop trying to impress people.

You start trying to enjoy the people you care about.

The funny thing is, I spent years trying to make more money.

Eventually I realized what I really wanted was more freedom.

Freedom to choose.

Freedom to travel.

Freedom to spend time with people I enjoy.

Freedom to wake up and decide what kind of day I want to have.

Money can help create that freedom.

But money isn’t the destination.

Time is.

The older I get, the less impressed I am by expensive things.

I’m more impressed by people who control their time.

People who can have coffee with a friend on a Tuesday morning.

People who can take a walk without checking their phone every five minutes.

People who can spend an afternoon with their family and not worry about what they’re missing.

That’s wealth.

Real wealth.

Nobody gets to the end of their life wishing they had made one more car payment.

Nobody wishes they had spent more time in traffic.

Nobody wishes they had spent less time with the people they love.

At some point, you realize the game isn’t really about making money.

It’s about building a life you actually want to live.

That’s the day I realized time was more valuable than money.

And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

— Nick Francis