I bought a car for $5000!

I traded one 18-year-old car for another...

and my nervous system had thoughts.

Your nervous system is always trying to keep you safe.

This week, it reminded me that it also likes to keep things familiar.

I've been driving the same Honda CRV for 18 years. It has over 200,000 miles on it, and honestly, it has been an incredible car. I've always known my next dream car is a Rivian SUV, but the one I want is over $100,000. Right now, that simply doesn't make financial sense.

Scott and I have talked about buying something in between, but I've always pushed back. 

Cars are expensive. As long as my CRV got me from point A to point B, I'd rather spend our money on experiences like travel than on a car I didn't really care about.

Over the past six months, though, the CRV started showing its age. Half the stereo stopped working, so I couldn't even listen to music. The back doors wouldn't open from the inside, so Bailey and her friends couldn't get out by themselves. The paint had long since faded, and with no music playing, I could finally hear every little sound that 18 years and 200,000 miles had created.

It still didn't make financial sense to buy the Rivian.

Then one afternoon I was walking through my neighborhood and spotted a 2008 BMW X5 with a For Sale sign. It had just over 100,000 miles, everything that was broken on my CRV worked perfectly, and it was listed for $5,500. We bought it for $5,000.

I was so excited.

Then the very next day, my nervous system hit the panic button.

I felt irritated. Agitated. On edge.

Nothing had gone wrong.

The only thing that had changed was the car I was driving.

For 18 years, my nervous system had become comfortable with my old car. It wasn't reacting to the BMW because it was expensive. It was reacting because it was different. Even though this was clearly an upgrade, it didn't feel familiar.

A few weeks later, the starter died, and we put about $1,000 into it. Then I sold my CRV for $3,500. In the end, this upgrade cost me about $2,500.

Today, the BMW just feels like my car. My nervous system has adjusted.

The part that makes me laugh is when people say, "Wow! You drive a BMW now!" They picture something very different than my 18-year-old SUV that cost me less than many people spend on a vacation.

But that's not really the lesson.

The lesson is that I was open enough to receive the opportunity when it appeared.

I wasn't looking for a BMW. I was waiting for a Rivian.

If I had been too attached to how I thought the upgrade should happen, I would have walked right past it.

Instead, life offered me the perfect next step.

This BMW isn't my dream car. It isn't the finish line. But it is exactly what I needed right now. It gave my nervous system the opportunity to expand into a new identity before making a much bigger leap.

I think that's how life often works.

We become so focused on the big dream that we miss the stepping stones leading us there.

The opportunity rarely shows up exactly how we imagined it would. It usually arrives in a form we weren't expecting, asking us one simple question:

Are you willing to receive this before you're ready for the next thing?

Every time we say yes to the next right opportunity, we teach our nervous system that growth is safe.

Maybe the thing standing between where you are today and your biggest dream isn't one giant leap.

Maybe it's simply being open enough to receive the next upgrade when it quietly appears.

Goodbye CRV. Thank you for all the adventures.

Disclaimer: I am an educator, not your personal financial advisor. Please make sure to do your own research before moving forward with any actions discussed in this blog post. 

Know that all investments involve some form of risk and there is no guarantee that you will be successful in making, saving, or investing money; nor is there any guarantee that you won't experience any loss when investing. Always remember to make smart decisions and do your own research!