The Cost of Waiting

Leo Kanell
Jan 13
5 min read

What Another Year of "Safety" Will Actually Cost You

It’s mid-January.

The "New Year, New Me" energy is already starting to fade. The gyms are getting quieter. The resolutions are getting blurry. And right about now, a very dangerous thought is creeping into your head:

"I think I’ll just play it safe this year. I’ll keep my head down, stick to the routine, and wait until things settle down."

It sounds responsible. It feels prudent.

But I’m here to tell you that in 2026, "Safety" is not free. In fact, it is the most expensive subscription service you are currently paying for. 💸

The "Safety Tax"

We are wired to believe that doing nothing costs $0. We think that if we just keep our current job and don't take any risks, our bank account stays neutral.

That is a lie.

You are standing on a moving walkway that is going backward. If you stand still, you aren't staying in the same place. You are moving away from your destination.

Standing still is the fastest way to go backward.

Here is the reality of the "Safety Tax" you are paying right now:

📉 The "Personal Inflation" Reality The news loves to celebrate that inflation has "cooled" to around 2.7%. That sounds nice on paper.

But do you eat paper? Do you heat your home with paper?

The things you actually pay for are exploding.

Energy services are up 7.7%. ⚡
Natural gas is up 10.8%. 🔥

The cost of existing is rising way faster than the news admits.

📉 The Wage Trap Here is the other side of the equation. In 2025, nearly 50% of workers received exactly $0 in raises.

If you were one of them - or if you got a tiny 2-3% "cost of living" bump - you didn’t stay safe. You took a pay cut.

Your dollar buys less today than it did 12 months ago.

So, if your plan for 2026 is to "wait and see," understand this: You are bleeding money. You aren't avoiding risk. You are guaranteeing a loss.

The Math of Hesitation (The $72,000 Invoice)

We have a glitch in our brains called "Status Quo Bias." 🧠

It makes us believe two things:

Starting a business is High Risk.
Keeping a job is Zero Risk.

But look around you. It’s 2026. Artificial Intelligence is exposing 300 million jobs to automation. Companies are slimming down.

The "Job" is actually the Maximum Risk position. Why? Because your upside is capped (you can't earn more), but your downside is unlimited (you can go to zero tomorrow). 🤖

In 2026, the "Safe Job" is the heaviest risk.

The Invoice

Let’s look at the actual math of the Funding Space.

Scenario A (The Jump): You start doing conservative, fractional funding work. Even at the lower end of our success stories, that is $10,000/month.
Scenario B (The Job): You stay in the "Safe" salary. Let's say you take home $4,000/month.

Most people look at that and think, "Well, at least I'm making $4,000."

Wrong. 🛑

You are paying $6,000 a month for the comfort of your cubicle.

$10,000 (Potential) - $4,000 (Current) = $6,000 (The Cost of Waiting).

Every month you "wait to see what happens," you are writing a check for $6,000.

If you wait until 2027 to finally make your move, you effectively just paid a $72,000 bill for the privilege of being bored and safe. 💸

Wealth isn't built by hoarding your own cash (which is depreciating anyway). It is built by Leverage. Waiting to "save up" your own money is the slowest, most expensive way to grow.

The "Nate & Haley" Reality Check

Rewind your life clock 18 months. ⏪

In the case of Nate & Haley:

Nate is making $17/hr. Haley is making $9/hr.

Combined, they are grinding for $26/hr.

Now, imagine if they had said what most people say:

"You know, the economy is weird right now. Let's just wait another year. Let's be responsible."

If they had done that, they wouldn't have "saved" anything. They would have just spent another year drowning in the math of $26/hr. 🛑

But look at the "Life Cost" they would have paid:

Haley would still be working a 9-5 instead of being a retired mom.
Nate would be wearing a work uniform instead of winning rodeo belt buckles. 🤠
Their dream horses would still be pictures on a vision board, not eating grass in their backyard. 🐴

Here is the lesson:

The cost of waiting wasn't just dollars. It was experiences.

If they had waited 18 months, they would have deleted 18 months of their "Dream Life."

You can make more money. You cannot make more years. ⏳

The Cheat Code: Proximity (The "Time Collapse")

Right now, you might be thinking:

"Okay, Leo. I get it. Waiting is expensive. But I don't know HOW to do this. I need to do some research first."

Stop right there. ✋

"Researching" on YouTube is just procrastination in a trench coat. 🕵️‍♂️

When you try to figure this out alone, the learning curve is 12-18 months. You have to sift through bad advice, make mistakes, and hit dead ends.

Remember the math we just did?

12 months x $6,000 Cost of Waiting = $72,000.

Trying to "figure it out" for free is actually the most expensive way to learn.

The Solution: Immersion

This is why we host the Funding Machine Live Event.

Data shows that immersion learning - actually being in the room with the experts - is 400% faster than watching videos online. 🚀

You aren't paying for a ticket. You are paying to collapse time.

You have two options for 2026:

Option A: Spend the year "figuring it out" alone. (Cost: $72,000 in lost revenue). 📉
Option B: Spend 2 days in the room with the blueprint. (Cost: A plane ticket and your attention). ✈️

Speed isn't about running harder in heavy boots. It's about getting into a faster vehicle.

The Live Event is the Ferrari. 🏎️

The Bill is Due

It is January 13th. 📅

Look around. The gyms are already getting emptier. The "New Year" energy is fading. The "Old Habits" are creeping back in.

Most people are about to settle back into their comfortable rut for another 12 months.

But you know the math now. You know that "settling" isn't free.

You have two invoices sitting on your desk for 2026. You will pay one of them.

Invoice A: The "Safety Tax" Cost: $72,000 in lost opportunity + 7% inflation. ROI: -100% 📉
Invoice B: The Investment Cost: A ticket to the event + Taking Action. ROI: Unlimited 🚀