Wednesday, Jan 5th, 2022
Preparation is Key to Success
A few weeks ago, GHSA crowned football state champions in all different divisions. All of the games were broadcast on local public TV. Some of the games were great and I know many of you likely had kids or grandkids playing in some of these games.
One game in particular stood out to me as a great example of how not to prepare.
What wins championships? There are probably a lot of different opinions on this. Old school folks say you need a great defense while others could argue that you need to score to win, so offense is more important. I can see both sides.
Then there are those who say special teams play is critical. I would agree with this one too. Unfortunately, there is one coach who didn’t see the value in having his special teams prepared for a what if.
Here’s the scoop.
Late in the 4th quarter, this team was down by one point to a team that was the 2-time defending state champion. They got the ball and drove all the way down the field and got the ball to about the 18 yard line with 7 seconds left. They then threw a pass in the end zone that fell incomplete. 3 seconds left in the game. All they have to do is kick a field goal to win it. Easy peasy, right? Wrong.
Somehow, a team that was good enough to run the gauntlet in a Georgia high school football season and make it to the State Championship game, never attempted a field goal the entire season. Not even one.
You could see the ending coming a mile away. And it ended exactly like you would expect. The kick was not even close and they lost by 1 point.
Was it the kids’ fault? After all he probably kicked 57 extra points during the year. I don’t think so. An extra point is one thing, a game winning field goal in a State Championship game is totally different, and they chose not to prepare.
They didn’t forget, they chose not to prepare.
Success in almost anything is based on preparation. Clearly this coach did not have his team prepared to kick a field goal, and they failed.
The same is true about retirement. If you want success, you have to be prepared. One more year is almost in the books. Are you in the 4th quarter of your work career and the clock is winding down? Some of you are more prepared than others for a variety of different reasons. Whatever the reason is, doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the clock is ticking and we don’t really get timeouts.
In our latest podcast- Episode 57 that posted today, I offer 22 financial tips for the new year. You could think of them as 22 money resolutions that you could consider for 2022. Some may apply to you and some may not, but the foundational concepts in each tip are things that successful retirees do.
We wish you and your family a great 2022 and we are here to make sure you are prepared when the time comes for the next important phase in your life.
Thanks again for the trust you have placed in our firm!
