NFA Finance

When I was younger, I was always in a hurry.

I wanted the money now.
The business now.
The cars now.
The success now.

Whatever the next level was, I wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

Looking back, I think that’s pretty normal when you’re young and hungry. You look at successful people and see where they are today, but you don’t see the thousands of ordinary days it took them to get there.

And somewhere along the way, I learned one of the most important lessons of my life:

Stop being in such a hurry.

That doesn’t mean stop being ambitious.

It doesn’t mean stop working your ass off.

And it definitely doesn’t mean becoming comfortable.

It means understanding that the ride is the whole thing.

I’ve spent decades building businesses, buying and selling cars, making money, losing money, starting over, meeting incredible people, traveling, making mistakes and figuring shit out.

And the older I get, the more I realize that there was never some magical finish line waiting for me.

There’s always another goal.

Another deal.

Another project.

Another number.

Another mountain.

If you spend your entire life waiting to finally “make it,” you can accidentally miss your life while you’re building it.

THE ORDINARY DAYS ARE WHERE IT’S BUILT

People love breakthroughs.

They love overnight success stories.

But most success doesn’t happen that way.

It happens on a random Tuesday when nobody is watching.

You get up.

You do the work.

You make the phone call.

You train.

You read.

You take care of your business.

You keep the promises you made to yourself.

Then you wake up and do it again.

I’ve done 100 push-ups every day for more than a decade.

There’s nothing complicated about doing 100 push-ups.

One day doesn’t change your life.

But thousands of days?

That’s different.

That’s what consistency does.

The same principle applies to almost everything—your body, your money, your business, your relationships, your reputation and your life.

Small actions don’t look impressive in the moment.

Until they compound.

LEARN TO ENJOY THE MIDDLE

We’re always celebrating beginnings and endings.

Starting the business.

Buying the car.

Hitting the number.

Reaching the goal.

But almost your entire life happens in between those moments.

That’s the part I’ve learned to appreciate more.

The long drive.

The cigar after a long day.

Working on an old car in the garage.

Meeting somebody interesting in a place you weren’t planning to be.

A business conversation that turns into a friendship.

Getting up early and working while the rest of the world is asleep.

Even some of the difficult seasons eventually become part of the story.

I still have huge goals.

I’m nowhere near finished.

In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m just getting started.

But I’m not willing to sacrifice today because I’m obsessed with tomorrow.

KEEP MOVING—JUST LOOK AROUND ONCE IN A WHILE

There’s nothing wrong with wanting more.

I believe growth equals happiness.

I want to build.

I want to create.

I want to make money.

I want adventures.

I want to see what I’m capable of.

But I’ve finally realized something my younger self probably wouldn’t have understood:

You can be relentless without being rushed.

Keep stacking days.

Keep making progress.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Document the journey.

Enjoy the people you meet.

Enjoy the machines.

Enjoy the places.

Enjoy the weird little moments you couldn’t have planned.

Because eventually you’ll look back and realize those weren’t distractions from the destination.

That was the destination.

Success isn’t one giant moment where everything suddenly falls into place.

It’s thousands of seemingly insignificant days compounded over a lifetime.

So work hard.

Stay hungry.

Keep moving.

But stop being in such a damn hurry.

You might discover that the life you’re racing toward is already happening.

Build like you have forever.

Live like you don’t.

— Nicholas Francis
Modern Day Dealer