WHO MOVED YOUR GOAL POSTS?

 

WHO MOVED YOUR GOAL POSTS?
A PERFECT METAPHOR FOR LIFE!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, October 29, 2026

Moving the goal posts occurs when something you consider an honest, immovable standard—something you can count on—suddenly changes, causing most people, certainly not you, to panic.

I have lived long enough to know that very few things in life remain constant! Everything is subject to change. EVERYTHING! The question we should all consider is this: What will we do when the goal posts we are aiming at suddenly move?

I remember playing golf in California and shooting the best round of my life. I was one-under par as I prepared to tee off on the final hole, the par-5 18th. The guys in my group knew what was happening. It was as if I were a baseball pitcher throwing a no-hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning. Nobody wanted to say anything that might disrupt my concentration or interfere with what I was about to accomplish.

Then, just as I was preparing to tee off, one fellow said, “Just aim at the blue car down the fairway.”

Unfortunately, the blue car was traveling at approximately thirty-five miles per hour!

Talk about moving the goal posts!

For the record, I parred the hole and shot a one-under-par seventy-one, my best score ever at that point in my life.

YOU CAN PLAN FOR LIFE, BUT YOU CANNOT CONTROL IT!

We all make plans, some far more important than others. Unfortunately, some people ignore plans they should make while they are young. They are often so young that they cannot see the forest for the trees.

Consider a simple example. When you are in your teens or twenties, the last thing on your mind is establishing an estate plan. There will always be time to do that when you get older, right?

WRONG!

Nobody knows when their expiration date will arrive. It could be tomorrow, or it could be decades from now. None of us know when fate will decide to move our goal posts for the final time.

That is why it is important to consider preparing a personal will, a financial power of attorney, a medical power of attorney, and, where appropriate, a durable power of attorney. These documents serve different purposes, and the terminology and legal requirements vary by state.

Too many people postpone these decisions until it is too late. Their families are left to deal with the consequences, often while grieving the loss of a loved one. Depending on the circumstances and the documents in place, proper planning can help avoid unnecessary court proceedings, reduce confusion, and make it easier to conduct your final wishes.

One of life's most devastating examples of moving the goal posts occurs when your expiration date arrives much sooner than you expected.

WHY THIS SUBJECT IS PERSONAL TO ME

Why am I writing this Nugget today?

As usual, I am so glad you asked!

For the record, I began thinking seriously about wills and powers of attorney when assigned to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment in Morgan City, Louisiana, in 1977.

My specialty was Personnel Administration, and most of my Coast Guard assignments involved duties related to that field. This assignment, however, was different.

Every day, I would board a leased PHI helicopter and fly over some of the most desolate terrain imaginable—or what passed for terrain—in southern Louisiana to inspect offshore oil producing platforms. Until we reached the Gulf of America (formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico), the landscape consisted of marshes and canals, with alligators lurking below and mosquitoes whose size I could only imagine!

I remember asking the civilian pilot, who had no co-pilot, whether he carried a gun.

When he asked why, I told him I wanted to be able to shoot myself if I survived a helicopter crash in those marshes!

I was only partially joking.

I quickly realized that this was, by far, the most dangerous assignment of my Coast Guard career. When I arrived in 1977, my hair was light brown. Before my tour was over, it was white!

That should tell you everything you need to know.

It was during that assignment that I began working on a will, a power of attorney, and a medical power of attorney. I understood that I could not predict when an accident or other unforeseen event might change my life forever.

I had no idea when fate would move MY goal posts, and I wanted to be better prepared when it happened.

HOW PREPARED ARE YOU FOR THE UNEXPECTED?

Can you afford an UNEXPECTED expensive car repair or home repair?

Studies have repeatedly highlighted how many Americans lack sufficient savings to cover an unexpected expense of even a few hundred dollars.

How about you?

How secure is your employment? Are you sure?

What would happen if you suddenly lost your job? What if someone moved your goal posts by eliminating your position tomorrow?

Could you financially support yourself and your family until you found another job?

Again, many Americans would struggle to do so.

A commonly recommended rule of thumb is to maintain an emergency fund sufficient to cover at least three to six months of essential living expenses. That is a reasonable goal, although the amount you need depends on your personal circumstances.

But let me ask you a question: Do you have that money set aside?

Living paycheck to paycheck seems to have become a way of life for far too many Americans in 2026. It is a precarious way to live when you consider how quickly circumstances can change, how fate could move YOUR goal posts!

You may be doing everything right today, but what happens when the unexpected happens tomorrow?

The best time to prepare for a crisis is before the crisis arrives!

A BOOK THAT PUTS LIFE'S LESSONS INTO PERSPECTIVE

I recently read a book written by Raphael Ozur titled Liabilities to Assets.

If I wrote the book, I might have chosen a different title. Based on the title alone, you might assume it is primarily about dollars and cents. Its message reaches well beyond money. It deals with some of life's most essential lessons.

As I read it, I was reminded of a Nugget for the Noggin I have been trying to write for at least two years but could not get it like I wanted it to read.

The premise of the Nugget I was working on was:

What would my 80-year-old self say to my 15-year-old self if I EVER had the opportunity to do so?

I envisioned myself sitting on the front porch of my home in a rocking chair, with my 15-year-old self, sitting on the top step, listening to every word, and asking questions as we engaged in an in-depth discussion about life.

What would I tell that young me?

What should he expect? For what should he prepare? What mistakes should he avoid? And, most importantly, what should he do when life inevitably moves his goal posts?

I could never quite get past the part about what to EXPECT, what to PLAN for, and how to prepare for the day when someone—or something—moves those goal posts!

Then I read Raphael Ozur's book.

It was as if he had been reading my mind from halfway around the world. His book addressed the very kinds of issues I had envisioned discussing with my younger self.

If you would like to read my review of his book, you can find it on my blog at www.NuggetsfortheNoggin.com. Look for the October 2026 entry.

TRY MAKING A FIELD GOAL WITH MOVING GOAL POSTS!

Imagine trying to kick a field goal on a football field while someone is MOVING THE GOAL POSTS!

If you make the kick, consider it an accident. After all, accidents can and do happen.

Now add another complication: The wind keeps changing both speed and direction.

Making that field goal becomes an almost impossible task!

Yet that is precisely how many people approach life. They establish goals, make plans, and assume the conditions under which they made those plans will remain unchanged.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes they do not!

The challenge is not simply setting a goal. It is preparing yourself to adapt when the circumstances surrounding that goal change.

You cannot prevent every setback. You cannot anticipate every emergency. And you certainly cannot control all decisions other people make that affect your life.

But you can prepare.

You can save money. You can protect your family. You can put important legal documents in place. You can continue learning, reading, and applying the lessons that experience and the wisdom of others have to offer.

You may not be able to stop someone from moving your goal posts, but you can make sure you are not standing on the field completely unprepared when it happens.

WHAT LESSONS CAN YOU TAKE FROM THIS NUGGET?

1. Life is hard.
2. Life is harder when the goal posts are moving.
3. Life becomes even harder when you have failed to prepare for moving goal posts.
4. Life can become more manageable when you read, study, and apply the principles and lessons contained in books such as Liabilities to Assets.
5. Or you can pass your problems on to your next of kin by doing nothing today when you still could do the right thing—but CHOOSE NOT TO!
6. ALWAYS ANTICIPATE THAT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING IS GOING TO MOVE YOUR GOAL POSTS!

Remember, you do not have to know exactly when the goal posts will move. You must know that, eventually, they will.

Prepare accordingly!

— Gymbeaux

Liabilities to Assets, a book review

 

LIABIITIES TO ASSETS
Written by Raphael Uzor
A book review by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, October 25, 2026

Liabilities to Assets
A Book That WILL Change Your Life!

I have a personal quote that I often use:

“YOU and read…for a change! Or YOU can read…for a CHANGE!”

Gymbeaux

The meaning is simple. Too many people rarely, if ever, read nonfiction books. They miss opportunities to gain experience, grow, and make meaningful changes in their lives. Some people need to change, whether they realize it or not. Others know they need to make changes but may not know where to begin.

Reading can open the door to both possibilities. Liabilities to Assets is a book that should make you think seriously about the changes you could—and should—make in your life.

Have you ever imagined sitting on your front porch in your eighties, having a conversation with your 20-year-old self?

Picture the two of you sharing eight decades of life lessons. You explain the mistakes you made, the opportunities you missed, the decisions you wish you had made differently, and the lessons you learned along the way. All the while, you are hoping and praying that your younger self is listening carefully and taking notes.

Why? Because some of the most valuable lessons you learned came too late to benefit you when you needed them most. But they are NOT too late for your 20-year-old self!

That is precisely why I believe Liabilities to Assets, by Raphael Uzor, is such a valuable book.

There is hardly a page that does not contain information that could benefit your younger self—and, quite frankly, your present self as well. The book addresses the kinds of decisions that shape our lives, often in ways we do not fully appreciate until years later. Chapter Twelve may be particularly important, but every chapter offers lessons that can help readers recognize and navigate the obstacles of life placed in their path.

One of the book's greatest strengths is the author's use of true stories to illustrate and reinforce the lessons presented. These stories make the concepts more relatable and help bring the message home.

The central idea is both simple and powerful: You can evaluate every aspect of your life in terms of whether it is an asset or a liability.

This applies far more than money. It includes relationships, investments, friendships, and the many other choices we make throughout our lives.

The author also provides questions that encourage readers to think critically about their decisions. Is this an asset or a liability? Will it remain that way over time? Could something that appears to be an asset today become a liability tomorrow—or vice versa?

These are important questions. Learning to ask them, and honestly evaluating the answers, can influence the direction of your life.

Who should read this book?

EVERYONE!

However, if I could put this book into the hands of one age group, I would choose young people between the ages of thirteen and twenty-four.

Why? Because there is enormous value in learning to think about your future before your future becomes your present. The earlier you develop the habit of evaluating your choices, the more opportunities you have to make decisions that benefit you over the long term.

Starting young, you can pay dividends for decades. Waiting until later in life means you may have to learn some lessons the hard way. Some lessons, unfortunately, come with a price you cannot recover.

Of course, you do not have to be young to benefit from this book. It is never too late to learn, reassess your choices, and make changes that improve your life.

Would I read this book again?

Absolutely—but with one important distinction.

You do not necessarily need to read a book twice unless you want to reinforce the lessons it contains. If I were young, I would not simply read Liabilities to Assets once and put it on a shelf. I would STUDY it. I would revisit its lessons, think carefully about how they applied to my life, and make a conscious effort to incorporate them into my daily decisions.

This is the kind of book you should keep within reach and return to as you move through the different stages of your life. The lessons may take on new meaning as your circumstances and priorities change.

Would I give this book as a gift?

ABSOLUTELY! And I plan to do exactly that this Christmas.

I intend to give copies to my children and grandchildren because I cannot think of a better gift than the gift of knowledge that can help them make wiser decisions, avoid unnecessary mistakes, and build more rewarding lives.

Material gifts may bring happiness for a time. But a valuable lesson, learned early enough and applied wisely, can benefit someone for a lifetime.

That brings me back to my personal quote:

“YOU and read…for a change! Or YOU can read…for a CHANGE!”

If you are looking for a book that encourages you to think differently about your choices, your relationships, your financial decisions, and your future, I encourage you to read Liabilities to Assets.

And if you have children or grandchildren who are just beginning their journeys through life, consider giving them a copy.

You cannot go back and change the decisions you made when you were twenty. But you may be able to help someone you love to make better decisions when they are twenty.

This book is worth reading—and worth sharing.