It was only five short years ago that I was on the football field, under the bright lights. I can still remember the fans cheering and coaches play calling. The sound of Gatorade being sucked down, the sound of cleats on the turf, smashing of pads, it’s still very vivid in my head. I will miss playing football. I miss it so much I still have dreams about it.
I played on a small town football team in a Washington. Believe it or not, my talent was punting and sacking quarterbacks. Looking back, it really was a strange combo. Playing both offense and defense sure was interesting. I remember going from “destruction mode” as a linebacker to a much more “finesse mode” as a punter. I could flip the switch just like a light bulb.
Football taught me so much about life and molded me into the person I am today. Now as a personal finance blogger, I can look back on my football days and say that I learned some financial principles along the way.
Slow and Steady Wins The Race
The best football players were the ones who stayed humble, practiced hard and stuck with things even when the going was tough. I remember staying after practice and perfecting my punt. All those hours for the goal of being perfect. Great things take time. Be patience and stay the course.
Do the same with your finances. Don’t invest thinking you’re going to make 20% returns year after year. Staying humble will benefit your portfolio. Stick with a wise plan and don’t waver. I will take this lesson with me the rest of my life.
Don’t Rely On Easy Fixes
This one has saved me from making some serious financial mistakes! When a player was not performing, I noticed quite a few guys would blame their equipment or “not sticky enough” gloves. It was never about the equipment, it was a lack of focus. Their reliance on easy fixes doomed them in the end. Instead of focusing on fundamentals, players would always be looking for an easy fix.
How often do we do with with our financial lives? I bet you know plenty of people who have been suckered into “get rich quick” schemes. Focus on the fundamentals of investing and growing your money. Invest in index and mutual funds instead of chasing the latest hot stock. Focus on growing your wealth instead of reducing expenses. While it’s all about the bigger picture, don’t get caught up with fixes that are really hindrances. Stay focused.
Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People
Man was this huge! Like all high school football teams, there were clicks. Depending on what clique you were part of, it had a huge deciding factor on your performance. The lazy guys would stroll through practice and go play video games (Some days this was me). Other groups would go lift and practice stances after each practice. As iron sharpens iron, I noticed a huge benefit by surrounding myself with players that took football seriously. Although I was probably a mix of the two, my closest friends worked their butts off and it rubbed off on each of us.
Same goes with finances. If you’re hanging around people who gamble every weekend, it’s going to be easier to fall for this temptation. On the other hand, if you’re surrounding yourself with driven individuals with a long term way of thinking about things, you’re going to make much wiser decisions.
Imagine that! So many lessons from something like football.
Please don’t take these lessons at face value! Take them and use them! I don’t care if you didn’t play football. Learn from things I learned and secure a financial future.
Please share below with any of your financial lessons from sports. We’ll meet you in the comments!
Image by Danny E Hooks/Shutterstock
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Jon is a Christian personal finance writer at Free Money Wisdom. His mission is to help you succeed in your personal finance life with the Bible as your compass. When Jon is not writing on personal finance, he spends time with his girlfriend, lifts iron at the gym, and plays Scrabble. You can subscribe to his site through EMAIL/RSS or you can also find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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