Have you ever wondered why some days seem to be easy and successful, while other days you seem to struggle with almost everything you do?  If you are feeling like you are struggling and wondering when your time will come, it might be time to learn a little lesson from one of Baseball’s greatest hitters, Ernie Banks.

Ernie played baseball in the 1950s, and one season he lightened his bat by 3 ounces. He went from hitting 19 home runs to 45 home runs all because of 3 ounces! Not only did he have a wonderful season, he was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1977.    Banks is often remembered for saying, “It’s a beautiful day, let’s play two.”

Sometimes the difference between success and just average is very small.  In life, and finances, the difference may not be in changing everything you are doing, but just a small change might be exactly what is needed.

How much is 3 ounces? Very little!  But it might worth everything. Is your life in a slump? If it is, my guess is that you don’t need a major overhaul. Ninety five percent of the time, dramatic changes can be seen with just minor tweaking. The difference between $50,000 and $100,000 a year may be the result of minor improvements. If you are not getting your desired result, ask yourself, “Is there anything that I can change just a little in my daily routine to see dramatic results?  Perhaps a daily 20 minute workout, better time management, or reading an educational book once a month.  Dave Ramsey says, “The average millionaire reads one nonfiction book per month.” 

Sometimes it’s as simple as writing down your financial, career, personal, family, and spiritual goals on paper and reading them each week.  Ron Blue, In Surviving Financial Meltdown, shows one Harvard study shows that that the only distinguishing difference between the top 3% of one graduating class and their level of income and achievement was that the other 97% never had written goals for themselves. 

Take some time and review how well your personal financial plan was this past year and make some small adjustments to reach those big goals that you have.  If you haven’t started writing out your spending plan each month and recording what you spend and where you spend it, start now so that when January comes, you had two months of practice and will be ready to take off at the beginning of next year.

The first adjustment I recommend is to make sure that during this “Thanksgiving” season, remind those who are special and important in our lives that we appreciate and love them. 

Sometimes a small change is all that it takes. Let me know what changes you plan on making to make next year the best year you ever had.

Ed Finnerty

Finnerty Financial Coaching