Return on Investment
I just drove my father’s 1987 Lincoln Continental for the first time in over 20 years. I recall how proud he was of that car when he bought it new. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy it for very long, but my mother has kept it garaged and occasionally driven it through the years. A few months ago, the car had mechanical issues that made her decide it was time to let it go.
After getting some mechanical work done to get the Continental rolling again, I slid in behind the wheel to drive it. The car roared to life with the pump of the gas pedal and turn of the key, then effortlessly shifted into gear. It felt heavy, solid, strong and expressed a decidedly American vintage as I pulled out onto the road for a test drive. I found it more fun and interesting than driving something brand new.
My unique driving experience was partly due to the fact that a car like this is rather hard to find these days, especially in great condition, but also because there was something vaguely familiar and personally relevant about it. I had a connection with it, but yet it was somehow
“new”.
You can create similar moments in all aspects of life, but you have to look for them and be willing to invest something in renewal. The investment can be physical, financial, emotional, or some combination. It can be made in tangible things, like cars, old houses or landscapes, but it can also be focused on relationships. Investment in relationships holds the longest-lasting renewal value.
Done well, an investment in something old or familiar restores it to even greater value than the original. And that’s the ultimate return on investment.
After getting some mechanical work done to get the Continental rolling again, I slid in behind the wheel to drive it. The car roared to life with the pump of the gas pedal and turn of the key, then effortlessly shifted into gear. It felt heavy, solid, strong and expressed a decidedly American vintage as I pulled out onto the road for a test drive. I found it more fun and interesting than driving something brand new.
My unique driving experience was partly due to the fact that a car like this is rather hard to find these days, especially in great condition, but also because there was something vaguely familiar and personally relevant about it. I had a connection with it, but yet it was somehow
“new”.
You can create similar moments in all aspects of life, but you have to look for them and be willing to invest something in renewal. The investment can be physical, financial, emotional, or some combination. It can be made in tangible things, like cars, old houses or landscapes, but it can also be focused on relationships. Investment in relationships holds the longest-lasting renewal value.
Done well, an investment in something old or familiar restores it to even greater value than the original. And that’s the ultimate return on investment.
