Throwing It Back On A Tuesday
Timehop is an app that shows you what you were doing a year ago by going through your photos stored or social media posts. This morning Timehop reminded me that exactly a year ago I was out and about in northern New Jersey playing around in the dirt with my black Evo (which I no longer have) with a group of people I just had met that day.
At one point I had owned five cars at once. An 09 Civic Si, a 97 Civic, a 91 240sx, an 03 Evo and an 05 Evo. I had picked up my 05 Evo in Connecticut (that was a fun road trip) pretty beat up with 160k miles. Looking for something I could take off-roading with out feeling bad about beating it up, this one was perfect!
I attended the last RallyX event that season with it and had an absolute blast throwing it around. I often would take it on dirt backroads on the weekends and blast through puddles trying to get it as dirty as possible. One weekend I had taken it out to New Jersey with a friend to this meet up to play in some dirt out there and it was (other than stopping for pictures every five seconds) a ton of fun!
I ended up selling the car at the beginning of last Summer because it seemed like it was about to explode on me and I had rather put the money into my 03 Evo than into fixing my beater Evo. I never even made a for sale ad for it. I mentioned maybe selling it on Instagram and next thing I know this kid from Arkansas is flying out to pick it up and drive it back. It made it, haha, and is still going strong, and thankfully with someone who really appreciates it.
Everyone thought I was crazy for owning two Evos. They thought I was crazy for dumping so much money into both of them. They thought it was crazy that I drove them so far away to race and push them to their limits with out a means to get them home if they broke. They thought I was crazy for meeting up with a bunch of people I have never met to slide our cars around in the dirt about 3.5 hours away. I would get called crazy a lot for the things I do and really I think every else is crazy for thinking it is so crazy of me.
I can understand it is not always the most responsible thing but I would have missed out on some awesome and fun experiences If I hadn't taken those chances. People need to relax and open up their minds a little bit to what else is out there and what they could be doing. So many people complain and make excuses they never get anywhere in life. They settle and end up with a family in the same place they were raised working a 9-5 job they are miserable at. Complaining and making excuses are two things I am typically aware of as I am doing them but also two things I work very hard not to do often or at least to excess.
A quote I really enjoy from a book I recently read is "..thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present." - Looking For Alaska by John Green
I find this so unbelievably true among so many people I meet, I typically choose not to be around these people, I find they don't push me to better myself and that is the type of person I want to surround myself with. Although I definitely use my picture of the future to keep me going, it actually keeps me going, and I actually follow through to the best of my ability. Typically the only thing that holds me back is unfortunately money, which is actually something I am going to be working on obtaining. Aka - I am going back to school this Fall to hopefully get started in a different career field that I will hopefully not only enjoy but will also help me become financially comfortable/free. I know everyone has different priorities but so many people I hear say they wish they could do something or be somewhere but never even try, and although I do understand the fear of not succeeding, I never hope I fully understand the mindset that comprehends it isn't worth the risk. The sheer fact that I am not where I want to be is enough to push me into action.
I get the response that I am getting out of the car game and Im giving up on what I love. In reality Im working toward a much bigger picture of my passion for cars. I want to go back to school, get into a field and create a career that allows me to be financially comfortable at least to the point where I can build my Evo on the side and go to track days and have a truck to tow it around. Or perhaps buy a Porsche which I have always wanted to drive, or get the schooling to become a stunt driver, or pick up and leave out of state on any given weekend last minute. I am simply working towards being able to afford everything I want to do now but can't pull off financially. Big picture people, it's worth the risk.
Check out my youtube for more videos!
