Analogy | THE FINANCIAL HACK

With me trying to adjust to this new “work schedule” of mine, I had no intention of actually writing any posts this week, but I felt compelled to do so today… This will be one of my “Each One Teach One” postings, and I’ll use football, (yep football) as an example. Now c’mon. Did you expect anything different?

I wrote a few weeks ago about Madden Mobile, a FREE mobile app in a previous posting. Feel free to read about it here:

https://thefinancialhack.com/2015/10/06/tip-tuesday-an-altnative-to-madden-16/

Now some of you may be thinking: Why on earth is a forty-something year old female wasting her time playing video games? I don’t consider myself a “gamer,” but I do play video games to decompress and unwind. And, also because they’re fun, but I digress. What does Madden Mobile have to do with teamwork? Allow me to extrapolate (Oooo an SAT word, lol).

One great aspect about Madden Mobile, is you can connect with people across the country by joining a league. You can request to join a league, a league can scout you (as in my case,) or you can even start your own. Still, what does that have to do with teamwork you may be asking… EVERYTHING!!! I could have continued to play alone but there are advantages to playing in a league. Comradery is what I enjoy the most. You can chat with other league members and/or give the team encouragement via the league chat board. We played rival teams, and we played each other for fun. We were a team… or so I thought. Our teamwork photo at the moment looks something like this:

WHY? EVERY MEMBER IS NOT HOLDING THEIR WEIGHT…

All this time I’ve been playing with this particular league, I thought we were all working together, winning as a team, and for a time, it felt as though we were a team… Until we started losing. Once we started losing, it seems as though collectively, “the team” had completely given up on the vision. The vision to win.

Playing football is similar to playing chess. The object is to win obviously, however, there is an objective even greater than the win itself: Outsmarting your opponent by anticipating their next play and stopping them from advancing. In Madden, I get more of a rush from outsmarting my opponents by switching up plays than scoring actual touchdowns.

Football requires TEAMWORK for a reason. Where one team member may be weak in a particular area, another team member may be stronger and can pick up the slack. In a case where it’s obvious your team might lose, YOU DON’T GIVE UP. THAT’S WHEN YOU COME TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND FIGHT HARDER!!! And you fight until the clock says zero. You don’t stop playing with 4:52 seconds left in the 3rd quarter because the score is 35-0. You use that deficit as your motivation to try harder. It upsets me when I see people giving up because they’re losing. That’s life. Don’t get mad, pick up your marbles and go home because you’re not winning. KEEP PLAYING! It can only develop you and make you better. And if you lose, the next time you face an opponent, you’ll be ready. Don’t doubt yourself and turn away because you’re facing an opponent you DON’T BELIEVE you can defeat. You won’t know until you try. I can’t tell you how many opponents on the field/obstacles in life I thought would get the best of me, but I refused to give up. When you give up, not only are you disappointed in yourself because you’re losing/lost, but you’ve disappointed those teammates/the people that believed in the vision, the win, and refused to give up in spite of an anticipated loss. I have more respect for a fellow team member who tried but didn’t score, than a person who quit before the game/fight was over. This could be the fight to win in your finances, marriage/relationships, the workplace, your organization, or even in your church. As a team, in order to claim victory, you must work together and never give up!

If a team worked together as one single solitary unit as opposed to the “every man for himself” attitude, just imagine what could be accomplished. Your teamwork photo would probably look more like this:

…. AND EVERYONE WINS!!!

Remember, “There is no “I” in team.”

That cliche’ will NEVER get old… At least not to me.

STEP 5: YOU’VE GOT TO BE IN POSITION TO MAKE THE COMPLETION.

This should be the last week of you tracking your spending habits for the month. It’s do or die now. Once you have tracked your spending, you can get a better handle on where your money is going. Remember the month I tracked my spending, $500+ dollars was wasted on “eating out.” Once this week ends, do the math and see where the bulk of your money is going. If you see that a considerable amount is being spent on non-essential items, it’s time to ‘get into position to make the completion.” Let me explain what I mean.

I’m a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan. I’m a huge football fan in general, but for all practical purposes, I’ll use my favorite
team and favorite Dallas Cowboy Wide Receiver Dez Bryant for this illustration:

Before I continue, Yes, this photo is OLD. 2009 to be exact. Yes, I drag this photo out and post it on social media at the start of EVERY SINGLE FOOTBALL SEASON. This picture was taken around the time Dez had just signed with the Cowboys as a rookie and was temporarily living in the same suburb as myself. I met him at a local restaurant. He was walking around with a small entourage and everyone was whispering “That’s Dez Bryant.” I recognized him, stopped him and asked if he wouldn’t mind taking a photo. He was real cool about it. I thanked him and he said “Yes Ma’am.” MA’AM? Now hold on! I don’t look THAT old, not then and certainly not now. Anywhoo, that was six years ago and let me tell you. Dez doesn’t look anything like he does in this photo anymore. Let’s just say milk DOES DO the body good… and as always, I DIGRESS. Hold on while I fan myself. Whew!!! Okay. Back to illustrating my point.

When Dallas Cowboy QB Tony Romo calls a slant route where Dez is the intended receiver, Dez has to be in the RIGHT PLACE at the RIGHT TIME otherwise, he won’t be in position to catch/receive the ball. Here’s what a version of a slant route play looks like to the football enthusiast:

A slant is where a receiver runs straight then hits a 45 degree angle behind defensive linemen to receive a pass. Romo can throw a perfect pass but if Dez isn’t there to receive it, the Cowboys have lost a down or in Romo’s case, there’s a strong possibility he’s thrown an interception. Now let me tie this in to how this relates to YOU:

Financial independence requires DISCIPLINE. Financial independence requires PATIENCE and financial independence involves FOLLOW-THROUGH. These are the same techniques Dez uses on the field that allow him to make “the big plays.” If you want to make the “big plays” and achieve financial independence you must first be DISCIPLINED. That means you may have to sacrifice some things in order to complete the play. You will also have to incorporate PATIENCE into your thought
process. Financial independence doesn’t happen overnight (unless you win the lottery,) and even in some cases, the winners still manage to blow ALL their winnings leaving nothing to show. To make the “big plays” and reach your goal of financial independence, you must FOLLOW-THROUGH. You can’t give up on your goal. If Dez is running too fast, the pass may be thrown behind him, too slow and it may thrown in front of him, but if the timing is just right, he makes
the play, gains some yardage and may even score a touchdown. You don’t need the touchdown just yet. Right now, your goal is to complete passes and continue to gain yardage. Then you’ll complete more passes. And gain even more yardage. Keep completing passes, keep completing tasks, and YOU WILL score the touchdown!

I am so excited for those of you that have actually taken on the task to take charge of your finances by tracking your spending habits and even those who may have just decided to begin this process. It’s never too late to get on board. Touchdowns can happen at anytime during a football game. The same applies to the commitment you’ve made to yourself. The commitment to pull yourself out of debt, the commitment of becoming a better steward of your money, the commitment to make better decisions regarding your finances. The “end zone” awaits.

Consider this posting the “Pep Talk” you get before the “big game.” For those that intend to get in the game, make sure you bring your “A” game. Leave the B, C, D and certainly your “F” game at home.

I hope you benefitted from this posting and I do appreciate you reading it.Your commentary is always important so ALL FEEDBACK IS WELCOMED. If there is a specific topic you’d like me to talk about regarding “Financial Fitness Boot Camp” on this blog, feel free to shoot me an email at Andrea.Coleman@TheFinancialHack.com. Don’t miss a posting so be sure to follow me at http://www.thefinancialhack.com.

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