I once watched a group of kids play basketball and it was a close game. The game had come down to the last five seconds and the team that was down by one point was now in possession of the ball. The coach had designed a great play that the team was executing well, but something seemed wrong.The team was so focused on executing their play that they completely forgot about the clock. It was a beautiful play but the clock ran out and the team lost.
We talk to many people who fall into situations like this. They have a goal, strategy and great discipline but they don’t quite understand how to adjust their goals and strategy to line up with the big picture of reality. For example, saving 15% of your income and wisely investing is a great thing but if you just started and you want to retire in seven years, 15% may not be enough to set you up for life after retirement.
To put yourself in the best position you have to find a way to wisely balance your goal, your strategy and the big picture of reality. Here are a couple of things you can do; 1) get a mentor who has a successful track record, 2) read material that educates you on the subject matter or 3) get professional help to help you navigate the technical side of things (i.e. taxes-CPA, Legal decisions-Lawyer).