The Steve Prefontaine Guide to Getting Rich
Sep 8th, 2009 by Carlos
Steve Prefontaine was one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time. I became a huge fan of his after watching Without Limits and Prefontaine (both very good movies) back in middle school. This was way before I started running in races like the Urbanathlon.
Even if you don’t like running, “Pre” was a very interesting guy that has a lot to teach us.
The Quote
I’m currently training for the 2009 Urbanathlon, and in the middle of a run the other day I started thinking about him. One of my favorite lines from the movie Without Limits happens when he’s explaining to his girlfriend why he’s so good even though he thinks he doesn’t have any talent:
I can endure more pain than anyone you’ve ever met. That’s why I can beat anyone I’ve ever met.
Pre was very quotable like that.
The line has stuck with me for years because it’s how I feel a lot of the time when I run: training makes up for a lot, but being able to endure pain is a huge part of being a successful runner.
If you can withstand the pain, you can beat a lot of other people who can’t.
It’s the same story with our money.
Endurance and Money
Can you endure not going out and spending money all the time? Can you endure driving an old car that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles? Are you OK with living in a smaller home instead of pushing your budget as far as it will go? Can you cook most of of your meals at home instead of going out to eat all the time?
You may not make as much money as other people, but if you can endure this kind of stuff, you’ll be in better financial shape than most other people at the end of the day.
For most things, I can endure the monotony of things like a boring lunch every day. If you can endure monotony and lack of spending, then you’ll be able to save a lot of money.
As Pre would say, if you’re willing to endure more than the next person, you’re going to beat a lot of other people with more talent and more money than yourself.
For all the runners out there, make sure to check out my guest post on the Three Things Running can Teach us About Personal Finance.
Image from BrentSchoonover.com
If this isn’t financial motivation I don’t know what is!
“You may not make as much money as other people, but if you can endure this kind of stuff, you’ll be in better financial shape than most other people at the end of the day.”
I need watch those movies again – good stuff and all from his heart
You buy things when you want to. You bought that cell phone, you got a new computer, you got a plasma tv, a playstation or Wii. Plus, you and your wife travel alot. You took atleast three trips this summer. You go see your parents atleast once a year. Just because you eat the same lunch everyday does not make you a frugal person. My point being, we work so we can save and spend at the same time so we can enjoy life. You have to find the right balance. I still strugle trying to figure it out. You are doing it the right way, but not kid yourself that you are as frugal as some people out there. Those people who just save to pay off their mortgage or retire early, but can not do much else because of only savings are not really living life.
P.S. GREAT MOVIES
@Josh: Good points. I am not nearly as frugal as a lot of people out there are. But the Prefontaine lesson still holds. And since there will always be people out there making tons more than myself, it keeps me thinking like an underdog.
And yes—if you haven’t seen these movies—you are missing out.
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