Written by SarahJoy Chaples North Central/Downeast Workforce Development Specialist
It’s spring and baseball season is well under way. Admittedly, I am not a baseball fan, but as a kid, I swung the bat a few times. Pretty much the only thing I remember is someone yelling, “Keep your eye on the ball.” When I’d close my eyes and swing, it was pretty much a guaranteed miss, but I actually made contact a few (or more) times with my eyes open.
It’s like that with finances. What is your ball (or financial goal)? How are you at making contact? Following through? It’s easy to feel intimidated by the financial situation we are in, and it is tempting to close our eyes and just hope that when we swing we’ll make a dent in something or move forward. Or maybe your eyes are open but you’re letting something else distract you from watching the ball as it approaches.
Start by opening your eyes, evaluating your situation, and analyzing the best angle to attack. (You know the ball is coming whether your eyes are open or not, whether you’re paying attention or not.) What is it that you want to tackle? Savings goals? Paying down debt? Establishing an emergency fund? Negotiate a pay raise? Look at it. Figure out how you’re going to hit it. And swing – with your eyes open! How close did you come? How hard did you hit? What will you do differently next time?
You might miss a couple of times or you might make contact enough to say you started moving in the right direction, but with some practice (remember life is a long game that requires preparation and practice!) you’ll start to see the ball going out farther and farther and pretty soon you’ll have a home run! It all starts with keeping your eyes open and keep them on the ball.