I volunteered to help coach the Intern's soccer team this fall. It's a town league for Pre K and Kindergarten age girls and it's an absolute riot.

Here are a few lessons I've learned along the way that you might find helpful too.

Make it fun

4 and 5 year old girls like to have fun. A slow moving soccer drill is not fun. When you kick and hit your coach with the ball and he has to act like the farm animal? That's fun.

Same goes for your finances. If you're stressed out in front of your computer, that's not fun. Grab your favorite snacks and an adult beverage or two. Don't make it more difficult on yourself than it has to be.

Keep it simple

At halftime of our first game, I asked the other coach if he wanted to switch sides and go towards the opposite goal. He laughed at me and said no when he realized I wasn't kidding. I quickly realized my error.

Same goes for your finances. Don't sign up or do anything that leaves you more confused than when you started. Keeping it simple and understandable is always a better idea.

Success is a series of small wins

For many of the girls on our team, it's their first time playing soccer so I don't expect any goals scored off well placed crosses. Instead, we're looking for small wins each practice and game. A good dribble here, a nice pass there, a well executed throw-in. These small wins build their confidence and they improve in the process.

The same holds true for your finances. Don't try and go from zero to $10 million overnight. Take the first step forward and then focus on the next small step instead. True success comes from repeating these small wins over and over and over again.

Reward yourself

What's the Intern's favorite part about soccer? Hands down the snacks and refreshments after the game.

With your finances, it's important to plan for your future well-being but make sure you enjoy yourself along the way. Don't get so wrapped up in the future that you forget to enjoy right now.

So there you have it. Turns out you can have fun and learn a lot from coaching a youth soccer team. Hope these lessons help you and your family’s finances too.