I admit it, I’m an Olympic junkie. I’m sure I’m not alone in this community (or any other for that matter). I can sit for hours and watch cross-country skiing and ski jumping, ice skating and even “sports” I don’t really understand that involve surfing down a hill on a board and doing flips like a crazy person. Every couple of years this is just what I do (Mrs. Oldster is actually worse than me).
One of the things I like most about this period of time is the human interest stories about what it took for the athletes to get to the point where they could compete on this stage. I’m always amazed at the dedication some people have to the most obscure pursuit. Spending 10 years of your life to train to become a world-class luger (is that a word?) may seem like a frivolity, but you have to respect the dedication it takes to get to the Olympic stage. That sense of purpose, of dedication to something bigger than oneself, is what Olympic athletes and the FIRE community share.
Skill Building
When my daughter took up basketball at the age of 11 (way behind most of her peers), I told her that it takes a thousand hours of practice to become average at pretty much anything (basketball, soccer, piano playing, anything). And that it takes ten times that to master it. Over the years that held pretty true and she worked at the skill set she would need to become an “average” competitive basketball player. She’s 15 now and has hit that mark and is moving forward from it (while doing all the other things kids do – eat, track, cross-country, band, eat some more, occasional school work, etc.).
Watching the Olympics and seeing what goes into that level of dedication, especially with the overlay of watching my daughter develop her own athletic skills, has made me appreciate the similarities between being a world-class competitor and the journey toward FI. You don’t have to spend much time in this community to see many examples of the type of focus and dedication to the goal that people who advocate FI principles demonstrate.
Skill Modeling
From budgeting, to ideas for becoming more frugal, to how to travel hack, our community is replete with role models for those desiring to learn about the FIRE movement. All that is required by someone desiring to accomplish this goal is to learn, to follow and to spend the requisite time trying to acquire the necessary skills.
Just like Olympic athletes have to train, have to strive every day to be better, have to set goals and push towards them, so to do those of us who are pushing toward FI, toward what we see as a brighter future. It is not necessarily a simple road, but is a well-traveled one and one you don’t need to do down alone. For those just tuning in to this message, there may be bad habits to break and some debt to resolve (or a lot of debt, as the case may be). But like those athletes I’m watching on TV right now (literally, while I’m typing this – Ski Jumping if you must know), when we work to improve our systems and stick to it, when we watch to make sure we stay on track, when we model our behavior on what has been shown to work, it is inevitable that we will hit our targets.
Until Next Time, FIRE On! – Oldster
Cool parallels! Like Olympians, there are some amazing people in the FIRE community who have accomplished so much so quickly. But the rest of us can still improve our financial skills and practice financial health. Just like not everyone can be an Olympian, but everyone can enjoy physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle in their own way. And those Olympians and FIRE role models are both inspiring!
Thanks for the comment Kalie. I’ve been an Olympic junkie all my life and am consistently amazed at the tenacity with which they pursue their passions.