Holly
Last week, I volunteered for the 2010 U.S. Senior Open Championships, and was able to get up close and personal with some of the players, caddies, and other individuals associated with the tournament. While there were many thrilling experiences throughout the week, one of the highlights was watching the pros leave the practice green and cross over to the first tee box.
The vast majority of the players were friendly, and greeted a few of us with smiles and acknowledgements. All of the participants displayed a keen sense of purpose, and a focus that transcended the crowds, the noise and the fanfare. Each golfer prepared for his round by practicing his swing, and turning inward. Looking out at the fairway that lay ahead, each player focused on a target that was appropriate for him, and prepared to hit the target by keeping his eye on the ball, while swinging smoothly, and seemingly effortlessly. Regardless of whether or not the golfer hit their respective targets, each player reviewed his shot, looked at his new options for the next shot, and executed another stroke to get his ball closer to the hole.
The approach to a successful round of golf, is the same approach to successful investing. The road is long, not always straight, but forward progress is the name of the game. We, as investors, need to set our intentions, and clarify our objectives, before we establish a course of action. The next step in the process is to review the plan, and revise the plan, when necessary. It is often challenging-even overwhelming-to accomplish all of these tasks on our own. However, we must establish a course of action, and then take action, either on our own, or with assistance, if we want to reach our goals. Here at the Coffeehouse , we are going to continue to highlight timeless principles and introduce you to new and better tools to help you on your journey as you build wealth, ignore wall street, and get on with your life! Keep your eye on our blog updates – we will be announcing a financial planning webinar in the next week that you are sure to enjoy.
There’s an old saying “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” If you really stop and think about it, this is as true in golf, as it is in investing, as it is in life.
Plan. Do. Review. Repeat. And have a great day!
Lori