I love the market.

It's one of my side hobbies.

Not sure what exactly I love about it, I think it's the interest of how other companies are performing.

This year has been a pretty solid year in the history of the market, especially in comparison to the 07' and 08' timeframe.

Luckily I was a poor college kid back then so it didn't matter for me :)

But it got me thinking...

Isn't our approach with investments the same as our approach to fitness?

It should be anyways...

Hear me out...

You wouldn't expect to have a million bucks in the bank by the time you retire without an action plan in place would you?

It's kind of like wanting to lose 50lbs but not having a clear action plan.

We also don't expect to have a million dollars tomorrow, we know it's going to be a slow and steady process, just like losing the 50lbs.

However, what we can do, is create a plan of action.

If I'm 35 years old and I want to retire at 65, assuming an average return of X%, I need to save $X.

It's simply reverse engineering it.

Just like if I want to lose the 50lbs, I would reverse engineer from a timeline, and maybe it's 1-2lbs per week.

Now, a couple more interesting things.

You wouldn't expect to continue to grow your investments without contributing something each month would you?

It's kind of like expecting the 50lbs to come off without contributing consistent sweat equity and healthy eating.

But here's my favorite relation...

In the market, there's ups and downs.

Some days are good some days are bad.

Some months are good some months are bad.

Some years are bad some years are good.

But you know, at the end of the day, if you just keep doing your contribution, and have a plan of action in place, you're probably going to win.

Winning, in this case, is having more money in your accounts than what you started with.

You don't stop "playing" just because the stock market had one bad day or one bad month.

You may adjust your plan of action, but you don't stop playing.

It's just like the fat loss journey.

There's going to be good days and bad days.

There's going to be good months and bad months.

There's going to be good years and bad years.

You will "win" if you show up consistently, work hard, and have some fun doing it.

You can't just stop "playing" if you gain a few pounds one month, or go through a rough spell.

That's called life.

Keep at the journey.

Keep contributing.

It will all be worth it.

1% Better.

Dedicated to Your Success,

Doug Spurling

PS: I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week before the big holiday :)