10 Additional Weeks of Penalty Strokes Needed to Reach Financial Freedom

 I'm on the 36th month of playing "Par for the Course."  The original idea was to wipe out all of our debts in three years including our mortgage.  I charted every stroke and kept score while making necessary adjustments to my spending habits.  The first year was a bit ugly, just like my real golf game.  The shots were wild and out of control.  Something happened along the way.  I got a grip on my spending and turned bogeys into pars during the second year.  This year has been mostly eagles although not enough to make up for a horrible first year.  Something extra is necessary to reach the finish line – penalty strokes.  

I was tempted to change my deadline during the first six months of playing "Par for the Course" because all those missed targets made the finish line appear unrealistic.  I didn't factor in all the practice I needed to get my financial life in order.  It would be really easy to set the target at March 18th, 2022, because that happens to be the second paycheck of the month and that should cover all my penalty strokes from that first year.  While that may be easily attainable, I'm shooting for something extra special... St. Patrick's Day.  While my dad was still with us on the planet he had a favorite mantra, "Everyone needs a little luck."  Well, I'm hoping he and my other ancestors can help those financial winds blow the right way for my final strokes and that I can finish on our favorite day of the year. 

Remember this when you decide to achieve financial freedom:  Commit yourself to continuous improvement and play the game to win.  Be consistent with this.  Whatever you do, don't give up.  Even though I may need several additional months to reach my goal, I'm still years ahead of the game.  The only ones losing here are the banks.  The irony here is that my final payment will include about $950 of money from my credit card rewards.  My wife and I made a deal that we would do this as long as we made sure to never pay interest on the card.  Stay tuned for the conclusion of "Par for the Course."  Have a great day.