Personal Finance for Sports Fans – Greatness Begins & Games are Won Off the Court

What do you love most about college basketball in March? Is it the buzzer beating 3 point shot or the steal followed by the monster dunk? While we get to enjoy these displays of talent on the court in the NCAA tournament, the thing that makes them possible is untold hours of preparation off the court.

Practice Makes Perfect
Whether it’s off-season, pre-season, in season, or post-season good athletes are always on a training regimen, preparing for what comes next. We don’t see them getting up at the crack of dawn to workout or nursing an injury through a brutal pre-season but without that preparation, they wouldn’t be as good as they are. Tiger Woods is a good example of the adage practice makes perfect. His endless and intense practice gives him the edge he needs to sink that amazing putt or hit that beautiful drive.

Skills to Pay the Bills
Our personal finance skills are no different than Tiger’s golfing skills. We have to learn the fundamentals of managing our money and practice regularly to have success. Some people try to bypass this path to success by taking part in the latest get rich quick scheme. If you sit back and think about it from a sports fan point of view, you realize how ridiculous get rich quick plans can be. Expecting to start up an investing or business program today and make thousands of dollars in your first week is as silly as someone thinking they can walk onto the basketball court and play like Kevin Durant or hop behind the wheel of a car and drive like Dale Earnhardt Jr.

All great athletes had to start somewhere. Think of the first time that Wayne Gretzky picked up a hockey stick or Michael Jordan touched a basketball. They weren’t great yet but that was the start of their journey. You may feel clueless when it comes to personal finance but if you don’t take that first step towards learning how to manage your money, you’ll never be a financial superstar.

Check out the other articles in the series Personal Finance for Sports Fans

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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