$6,000 for two calls. One tenth of my yearly income. I did it anyway.
That was the first time Brady Volmering made a significant investment in himself. Two hours of coaching. A program to go with it. And a number that made him physically uncomfortable to spend.
"At that time, that was like a tenth of my income for the year. Those calls are just like going over a month to come into—like two calls."
He stared at the opportunity for weeks. Every practical bone in his body said no.
But something else said yes.
The Two-Week Paralysis
Brady wasn't quick about it:
"I sat there, I looked at it for a couple days, for a couple weeks, longer than I should have."
That "should have" is doing a lot of work. Because the delay itself was the problem—not the money.
Every day he didn't decide, he was practicing being the person who hesitates. Who needs to "think about it." Who stays safe.
And that's when the real calculus became clear:
"Eventually I came to the decision of: it's going to hinder me more to not do this and wonder, than to actually take the energy, take the effort, take the risk, like have the courage to put it there and actually figure out and invest in something that I'm interested in."
The cost of NOT doing it was higher than the cost of doing it. Not financially—energetically.
The wondering. The what-if. The slow drain of unexplored potential.
The Immediate Shift
What happened when he made the investment?
"That first time that I did that allowed me to see: when I do that, when I make big moves like that, when I make—it's not that I want to just be risky—but I do want to invest in those things that I'm really legitimately interested in. And what I found is like that, that frees up energy."
This is the part nobody talks about.
The decision itself—before a single call, before any ROI—freed up energy.
Why? Because the deliberation was costing him. Every day spent weighing the decision was a day of internal friction. Once the decision was made, that friction disappeared.
He wasn't freer because he spent money. He was freer because he committed.
The Value Hierarchy
Here's the deeper insight Brady pulled from the experience:
"If we want to talk about money and finances, I want myself to be more important than a piece of paper or a number."
That doesn't mean being irresponsible. Brady's clear about this:
"That doesn't mean I just randomly spend money on shit, right? Because that's not good either. I consider myself—I probably could be better—but I'm pretty good with finances most of time."
It means: don't let money make decisions that should be made by values.
If something genuinely matters, if it's aligned with who you're becoming, if it's going to unlock capacity—you don't let a number veto it.
The number serves you. You don't serve the number.
The Barrier Isn't Real
Here's what Brady discovered about hitting financial barriers:
"With that 6,000, if that's the thing I want and I can't currently get it, I don't want to just shut that down and say like, nope, not an option. I want to invest more time and energy and actually figure out how to get that thing."
The barrier felt real. The bank account was what it was. But the barrier was actually a question: "How much do you want this?"
If the answer is "not that much," fine. Move on.
If the answer is "I need this to become who I'm trying to become"—the barrier becomes a problem to solve, not a stop sign.
The Pattern It Created
That first $6,000 wasn't the last investment:
"That was the kind of the start of that, where I was like, okay, there's actually a lot of benefit to not just holding out and being super tight, but actually going into those things that I'm interested in, that will free up more energy."
One commitment creates a template. You see that big moves don't kill you. You see that betting on yourself pays dividends beyond the obvious ROI. You build the identity of someone who invests rather than someone who hoards.
And each subsequent decision gets easier.
How to Think About Big Investments
Before you go max out your credit cards, let's be precise about what Brady is and isn't saying:
What This IS:
- Being willing to invest significantly in aligned opportunities
- Recognizing that the cost of NOT acting can be higher than acting
- Treating yourself as more important than arbitrary numbers
- Solving for "how" instead of accepting "no"
What This ISN'T:
- Reckless spending
- Buying things you don't need to "invest in yourself"
- Ignoring financial reality
- Pretending money doesn't matter
The question isn't "should I spend money?" The question is: "Is this aligned with who I'm becoming, and am I letting a number make a decision that should be made by values?"
The Questions
What investment are you currently staring at—and avoiding?
Is it a course? A coach? Equipment? A move? A bet on your business?
How long have you been "thinking about it"?
And here's the real question: What is the cost—in energy, in opportunity, in identity—of continuing to not decide?
Sometimes the expensive thing is the cheap thing.
Sometimes the cheap thing—staying safe, staying small, staying stuck—is the most expensive thing you'll ever pay for.
Brady Volmering built DAC Performance and Health by being willing to invest before he felt ready. That $6,000 turned into a business serving professional athletes.
Ready to invest in yourself? You don't need $6,000—you need a start. Intertwine helps you commit to the person you're becoming and track your progress along the way. Start free for 7 days.