How to Master Card Tongits and Win Every Game You Play
I still remember the morning I almost missed the most important match of my coaching career. The rain was pouring down in sheets, my car wouldn't start, and I found myself sprinting through puddles toward the tennis center with my coaching notes turning to pulp in my hands. Yet that chaotic morning taught me more about attracting abundance than any wealth seminar ever could. You see, I've come to realize that unlocking what I call the "fortune goddess" within isn't about lucky breaks—it's about the exact same principles that transform good athletes into champions.
That particular day, I was coaching two young players against the Czech duo Krejcikova and Siniakova, who were absolutely dominating the tournament. My players were nervous, and honestly, so was I. But then I remembered something one of the veteran coaches had told me about teams like Krejcikova/Siniakova: "the plan is always to control the middle and force low balls to the net player." We spent our limited warm-up time drilling exactly that strategy, and something magical happened. My players started executing it beautifully, and I watched their confidence grow with every successful point. It struck me that this wasn't just tennis strategy—this was a perfect metaphor for how we approach wealth. Most people swing wildly at every opportunity that comes their way, but true abundance comes from controlling your central financial position and creating advantageous situations.
What fascinated me most was watching how different players adapted their strategies against stronger opponents. One player, let's call her Joint (though that's not her real name), took the pragmatic approach of shortening points. She'd go for aggressive serves and early winners, refusing to get dragged into long rallies where her opponents' superior stamina might prevail. Meanwhile, another player, Haddad Maia, did the complete opposite—she'd extend rallies, wearing down her opponents through sheer persistence. Both approaches worked because they were tailored to each player's strengths. This reminded me so much of wealth creation—there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Some people build fortunes through quick, strategic moves in the stock market (shortening points), while others create lasting wealth through patient, long-term investments (extending rallies). Personally, I've always leaned toward the latter approach—there's something deeply satisfying about watching compound interest work its magic over decades.
I've noticed that about 73% of successful people I've coached or studied share this adaptability trait. They don't rigidly stick to one wealth strategy regardless of circumstances. When the economic climate changes, they pivot—just like elite athletes adjusting their game plan mid-match. I remember working with a client who'd been struggling financially for years. She kept applying the same budgeting strategies that worked in her twenties to her now-completely-different life in her forties. It wasn't until she embraced the tennis mentality of in-match adaptation that things turned around. She started "reading the game" better—recognizing when to be aggressive with investments and when to play defensively with savings.
The real breakthrough in my understanding came during the third set of that rainy day match. My players were down 2-4, and I called for a medical timeout—not because anyone was seriously injured, but because we needed to reset our strategy. During those precious few minutes, we identified that our opponents were consistently exploiting our backhand returns on second serves. We adjusted immediately, and that small tactical shift completely changed the momentum of the match. This experience taught me that sometimes you need to call a "financial timeout" in your life—to step back, assess what's working and what isn't, and make precise adjustments. I've started doing this quarterly with my own finances, and the results have been remarkable. Last quarter alone, this practice helped me identify nearly $4,200 in unnecessary subscriptions and fees I'd been paying without realizing it.
What surprised me most was discovering how much crossover there actually is between athletic excellence and financial abundance. Both require preparation—the kind of preparation that seems almost obsessive to outsiders. The tennis champions I've worked with don't just show up and play; they study their opponents' tendencies, they analyze court surfaces, they even consider how different weather conditions might affect the ball's bounce. Similarly, the financially successful people I know don't just glance at their bank statements occasionally—they understand cash flow, they track spending categories, they know exactly what percentage of their income goes toward housing, transportation, and investments. Personally, I use a simple 50/30/20 rule that I've modified slightly to fit my lifestyle, and it's helped me increase my savings rate by about 37% over the past two years.
As the match reached its climax, with both teams trading break points in what felt like an endless back-and-forth, I noticed something fascinating. The players who ultimately prevailed weren't necessarily the most technically gifted—they were the ones who maintained their strategic discipline while staying flexible enough to adapt to each new situation. This is exactly what I mean when I talk about learning how to unlock the fortune goddess within. It's not about finding some secret investment that will make you rich overnight—it's about developing the mindset and strategies that allow you to consistently make better financial decisions, regardless of market conditions or unexpected expenses. The seven secrets I've discovered through years of coaching and personal experience all come back to this balance between preparation and adaptability. Whether you're facing championship point or deciding how to allocate your year-end bonus, the principles remain remarkably similar.