I Sold My Car To Write A Book

This blog is about a difficult decision I made last year and how I feel about it now.

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In 2020 I connected with Cory Camp through social media and he quickly became a good friend. Last spring, he asked me to be a co-author for a book concept he was working on – one about athletes transitioning out of sport but keeping their athletic identities in everything that they do (hence the title, Forever Athlete). I was interested in being part of the project for multiple reasons but that initial excitement came to a halt when I realized that I the book required a sizable financial investment at a time when I was preparing to quit my job. I left the phone call with a difficult decision to make and after talking with my wife (who was nothing but supportive), I decided that I was going to sell my car and write a chapter in the book. I decided on this because I was tired of letting money get in the way of the path that I felt pulled toward and if I’m going to one day be an impactful author, I need to do the things that authors do – write books. I realized that I’d rather do without a car (which we have done great with over the past year) than do without this opportunity.

Don’t worry – I was thinking of selling the car anyway and I would never put us in a bad spot but this decision was a risk nonetheless (it also made for a great blog title, right?) . It was a choice between what I have now and what I want later. This blog and this next chapter of life is about me chasing the best version of myself even if it seems ridiculous on the surface because as Jabin Chavez once said, “it’ll feel ridiculous until it looks miraculous.” So now, I’m writing, refining and moving forward down the path that I’m pulled toward. The timeline for the book got stretched beyond the original estimations and almost a year after the project began, I’m excited to announce that the book has been completed and I can claim the title of published author… and as I sit here it doesn’t feel as good as I thought it would.

To be honest, this entire process has made me realize that being an “author” changes absolutely nothing about who I am. Deep down inside, I’m writer before I’m an author and I love the process more than the outcome. With that being said, I’m very proud of the book that I co-authored and I feel there’s tremendous wisdom spread throughout each chapter. I would love for you to read the book and if you’d like to order through me, it would be greatly appreciated.

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If you’re reading this blog, I also hope that you’ll someday consider reading a book(s) of mine. I’m not sure if this blog, this book or anything else that I do will be groundbreaking, but I know that if I want to be a better writer (and storyteller) and that means I need to write. Thank you so much for your time and leave you with a quote that sums up this next chapter.

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.”

Les Brown

Don’t let your dreams end up in the graveyard.

Joe Rinaldi

IG: @joearinaldi

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