I’m a fairly intense Philadelphia sports fan. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was reading an article about one of the Philly sports teams this week, and a quote in the article grabbed my attention. It paralleled one of the points Garry made in his Master’s Minute post last week about staying focused on what you can control.
Unlike many athletes, this young man seems to be wise beyond his years. He was commenting about some uncertainty related to his role in the upcoming season. He simply stated, “I control what I can.” Then he went on to list some of the things he can control: his work ethic, his effort, where his head’s at (attitude), his relationship with those around him, and his personal growth. He then concluded by adding this overarching discipline, while “always being rooted in my faith.”

When it comes to personal finances and planning for the future, there’s a whole host of things we might fret over: future inflation rates, job security, future price of college education, and how the stock market will perform to name a few. Yet, we have almost no control over any of these unknowns.

Just like this young athlete, we’d be wise to keep our focus on what we can control when it comes to money and financial planning. Here are a few actions we can control:

• Making a habit of spending less than we earn.
• Avoiding the use of consumer debt.
• Diversifying our assets appropriately for our timeframe and risk tolerance.
• Living with an open hand so we’re ready to give and receive when opportunities arise.
• Remembering that God owns it all, and we’re simply here to manage His resources.

When staying focused on these time-tested financial principles, we’ll probably find ourselves better prepared to face whatever comes our way. What specific financial discipline or habit has yielded a significant result for you?