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What Can March Madness Teach You About Getting Out of Debt? (Dave Ramsey)
Dave Ramsey Website ^ | March 14, 2012 | Dave Ramsey

Posted on 03/15/2012 5:45:56 AM PDT by CSM

All 68 of the teams in the 2012 NCAA Tournament—best known as “March Madness”—will have at least one thing in common when the tournament starts today.

No matter what type of season they had, whether they are 28-2 or 15-15, whether the year has been filled with injuries or as miraculous as a Disney story, all of these teams only need to win six more games to be national champions.

No matter what has happened in the past, the season starts over today. Each team, each player, each coach has a fresh slate. Past mistakes—missed shots, bad passes, poor coaching decisions—have all been wiped clean. Today, the future—winning the next six games—is all that matters.

But these teams don’t start out in the first round thinking about playing in the championship. They have to approach the tournament “one game at a time.” Athletes and coaches have said that so often that it’s become cliché.

To win, these teams have to focus on the here and now—today’s game. When they win that first round game, they move on to the second round, which involves another round of game planning and preparation. They focus on each opponent, one at a time.

That’s how you attack debt, right? In our world, we refer to each of those “opponents” as debts in the debt snowball, but it’s the same message. You pay today’s bill and then pay tomorrow’s bill until you eventually conquer your debt or win “The Debt Championship” (pardon the cheesy pun).

You don’t worry about your past financial mistakes, and you don’t get hung up imagining what your mortgage-free future might look like. You just focus on the here and now and plug away at your debts one at a time.

You’ll still make mistakes, so don’t expect perfection. But you can expect the unexpected, like a flat tire, a leak in the roof, and maybe an unexpected trip to the hospital. That’s the type of stuff that is sure to make an appearance when you’re working your way out of debt.

Remember, if you’re married, you are part of a team too. And the best way to pay down your debt is through teamwork and agreeing on your goals together.

Just like a great basketball team, stay focused on what’s in front of you. That’s how you win the NCAA Tournament, and that’s how you get out of debt.


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: daveramsey

1 posted on 03/15/2012 5:46:00 AM PDT by CSM
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To: CSM

Place a big enough bet on the right bracket, and you could be out of debt!?!?!


2 posted on 03/15/2012 5:47:50 AM PDT by G Larry (We are NOT obliged to carry the snake in our pocket and then dismiss the bites as natural behavior.)
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To: Hoosier Catholic Momma; CottonBall; TenthAmendmentChampion; Chickensoup; JDoutrider; ...

Make yourself and your family the cindarella story of this spring! Just be weird!

Dave Ramsey Fan Ping List.

If you would like to be added to the “Live like no one else, so that you can LIVE like no one else” list, feel free to Freepmail me.


3 posted on 03/15/2012 5:48:51 AM PDT by CSM (Keeper of the "Dave Ramsey Fan" ping list. FReepmail me if you want your beeber stuned.)
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To: CSM

Send me $10 and I’ll show you how I got myself out of debt!


4 posted on 03/15/2012 6:00:40 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

Please send your instruction manual to the President!


5 posted on 03/15/2012 6:08:12 AM PDT by CSM (Keeper of the "Dave Ramsey Fan" ping list. FReepmail me if you want your beeber stuned.)
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To: CSM

As of 8:30am central time, this was what Drudge looked like in the upper left-hand corner of his site:

Afghan president wants U.S. troops out of villages...
U.S. moves massacre soldier to Kuwait; Afghans furious...
Thousands protest, chant anti-American slogans...
Taliban suspends peace talks with U.S....
Obama Fills Out NCAA Basketball Bracket...


6 posted on 03/15/2012 6:51:42 AM PDT by uptoolate (Republicans sure do like their liberalism)
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To: uptoolate

LOL! Good catch!


7 posted on 03/15/2012 7:36:09 AM PDT by silverleaf (Funny how all the people who are for abortion are already born)
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