But is that necessarily a good thing? Waiting has become a thing of the past in many areas of life. Something called patience has taken a back seat to our instant-everything culture and that has created many problems for those who want it and want it now.

I have heard it said that if you really want to buy something, wait at least a week before making that major purchase, because that way when the time comes you can decide without impulse if you really do indeed still want it. I can admit that I have made mistakes when it comes to making purchases just because I couldn’ t wait; and unfortunately, my pure excitement of the purchase wore off when I had to make the payments.

I remember like it was yesterday when I bought my first Pro Mod. I couldn’ t afford it, but some way and somehow I got together enough financing and borrowing to make it happen. The feeling was amazing as I loaded it into the trailer for the ride home, but that feeling of joy soon became a debt and that debt became a weight for many, many years because I had purchased something I truly could not afford.

So what am I saying you might ask? Well, what we lack in our society and also in myself at times is discipline, but it’ s discipline that will keep you from the impulse buys that so easily trap you. All I want you to get out of this column is an awareness that although you can instantly have just about anything at any time, you should start to think before leaping into debt or making wrong decisions that can have a harmful impact on your life.

I have seen hundreds upon hundreds of people in our sport buying anything and everything to have the fastest car on the planet. The problem is that only about 20 to 30 percent of the people who do this can actually afford it at the level in which they’ re competing. I know firsthand, people who have refinanced their homes in order to buy race engines. So please take it from someone who knows; the juice is just not worth the squeeze here. Discipline yourself to stay within a budget you can afford, and if you can’ t afford what you want, don’ t buy it at that time. Instant success of discipline or instant debt will be the choice you have to make.

Drag racing is a fantastic sport and— with discipline— one that can fit any budget. The problem is that we compare how fast we are to others and make wrong choices to keep up with them, all for the sake of being number one. The trouble is, I know a lot of guys who finished number one and yet lost everything else in the process. If you can balance racing within your lifestyle, then it will be a sport that brings you great returns in many areas of life; however, when you go crazy spending and getting everything right now without the means to support your habit you will soon get swallowed up in a racing pitfall so many others are trapped in.

Now, I didn’ t write this to discourage you, but to encourage you toward a life of financial discipline within this wonderful sport we call drag racing. From Jr. Dragster to Top Fuel, the excitement of the sport is alive and well. Likewise, you are blessed to be participating at any level, so stop comparing and start enjoying the sport again. Reprioritize and downsize if you must. Remember, you can upgrade your program instantly, but without balance the instant upgrade may also represent the instant start of your own demise. As always, the choice is yours to make.

Tommy D’ Aprile tommyd @ dragillustrated. com

November 2016

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