Goodbye Mariano Rivera.
As an avid Yankees fan who goes to as many games as possible during the year, I was so moved to be watching Thursday's game. Even though the Yankees lost to the Rays, it was one of the most memorable games that I've seen. Beloved Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera played his final game and the stadium was swept up with emotion.
There are several lessons we can draw as inspiration from "Mo" that can inspire you with your credit.
Lesson #1: You can rise from even a humble situation. Rivera grew up in a poor fishing village, playing baseball with a milk carton for glove and wadded up fishing net for a ball. Let Rivera inspire you. You might be facing a very bleak situation with your credit and yet you can come back from it. You can rise to a higher credit level if you work at it, just as "Mo" did with his baseball career.
Lesson #2: There will be obstacles and that's okay. Don't let them derail you! When Rivera moved to the US to play minor league ball, he couldn't speak English. Later, he injured his wrist and faced surgery at that time, many people decided he wouldn't be a good player. And today? He is a perennial All Star, five time World Series Champion, World Series MVP and MLB's all time leader in Saves. As Rivera's life teaches us, there will be obstacles along the way and that's okay. You might face challenges as you pay down your debt or struggle to pay your loans on time. We can't let those obstacles derail us from our ultimate goal.
Lesson #3: Be consistent: One of Rivera's trademarks is how he pitches the ball. His style is called a "cutter". Although he'll sometimes switch it up, Mo's "cutter" has split bats and has helped his team win again and again. Consistency is your secret weapon to better credit, too. Credit scores reflect credit habits and habits are created out of consistency. So if you make on-time bill payments a consistent priority, your credit will positively reflect that (even if you struggle in other areas of your credit!)
Lesson #4: Stay focused! Rivera is very reserved and composed on the field, even under pressure. As Rivera stated: "When you start thinking, a lot of things will happen... If you don't control your emotions, your emotions will control your acts, and that's not good." Very true on the field and in your credit, too. For example, it can be quite emotional to work through some of the harder-to-face issues like dealing with debt collectors. But if you can have the same focus and control your emotions, you'll accomplish a lot more in those situations.
As an avid Yankees fan, I'm very sad to see Mariano "Mo" Rivera retire after 19 seasons in major league baseball. But I'm excited by the lessons we can all learn from him and how they can help you improve your credit!