March Madness and Marriage: Lessons from the Basketball Court
Our family loves March Madness. We have a blast watching basketball games together. The Cinderella stories, the buzzer-beaters, and the heartbreak – it has been such a fun family activity. But what do March Madness and Money & Marriage have in common? Yesterday, we were talking and I (Megan) said to Taylor, “You know what? All of this excitement relates so easily to Money and Marriage”.
Taylor looked at me a little confused, but he started to understand when I gave him these examples of how money and basketball games are similar.
1. Victory
Every team that takes the court during March Madness wants one thing–victory. They train hours every day on fundamentals, strategy, and even what it looks like to work as a team. That doesn’t so far off from marriage, does it?
We all want victory with our money and our marriage. Seeing the results of putting in the time with the fundamentals to get some “W’s” here and there. Big victories and small ones.
Check out Michigan’s Buzzer Beater Victory:
Don’t you feel that sense of relief when you have money victories? #2 on Michigan’s team who hit that game-winning shot was a freshman. He hadn’t scored in the second half. But he’d practiced that shot thousands of times and he believed in his abilities.
But what do March Madness and Money & Marriage really have in common? Was your goal to get out of debt or at least whittle that bigger number down to fewer digits this year? Did you do it? Victory!
Did this year your spouse lighten up on the superhero money grip because he finally understands your 2 Money Personalities? Victory!
Was this the first vacation you really enjoyed because you saved for it? And involved the kids in the planning? Victory!
So high five, chest bump, or take a page from the basketball playbook and tackle your spouse in your excitement next time you are victorious with your money. (You might want to get them a heads up about the tackling part.)
2. Drama
If earning more than you want to spend was a piece of cake, there would be no drama whatsoever when it comes to money.
If college was cheap (or at least somewhat affordable) there wouldn’t be any drama paying for it. What if we could change the math so that your daily yummy latte at $5, didn’t add up to $1,825 each year. But we can’t change it. So here comes the drama.
The money fights, the money arguments, the money wars, the long hours, the growing expenses….drama, drama, drama. So March Madness and money do have a lot in common.
Too much fun and not enough funds equal drama.
3. Encouragement
Encouragement changes everything. When you feel somebody is rooting for you, you feel better about your odds. Are you rooting for your marriage, for your spouse, for a successful financial future?
The home team advantage is a real thing. Players do better when they feel that encouragement from their fans. They believe because you believe. Could your spouse use a little more encouragement?
Doesn’t it feel good when you get a hug, a “you can do this”, and an I love you from your honey? Make a point of encouraging each other and show appreciation for your hard work when you make some good money choices!
So we hope your bracket is doing well, and that you are inspired to improve your marriage and your money with three March Madness Marriage and Money examples. Can you think of any other things March Madness and Money have in common? Let us know…We would love to hear from you.
As always,
Taylor & Megan
The Money Couple
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