The Power of Positivity in the face of Failure

Save for Later

So no playing occured last night as I am enjoying the comforts of Melville, NY (its on Long Island) on a quick emergency business trip. What did happen while I was sitting at the hotel bar having a beer and just unwinding for the evening was some time to think. I know, I am a complete nerd, I can't stop thinking about things no matter where I go. My wife is sometimes amazed and annoyed by how singularly focused I can be, but it is a large part of why I am successful at my different adventures. You have to see a goal and then strive for it with every fiber of your being, or you will never succeed. Success is never partial. Almost doesn't count. Quitting doesn't exist.

Anyhow, as I was sitting at the bar, I was thinking about the last year in poker and where I was and what I had achieved and I was starting to think about how much staying positive and taking every losing session and turning it into useful, usable learning sessions has contributed to where I am now and the level of play that I am at currently. If you step back and think about it, for every 100 poker tournaments we play (assuming a standard winning player, which is a group I now enjoy lumping myself into 🙂 ) we are going to win 1, cash in ~13 and lose 87 is a most miserable fashion. Think about that for a second. 87% of the time you are going to invest your time, emotion, skill and energy and walk away with nothing tangible to show for it. What do you do with that. I know a lot of players mope. They whine, they blame everyone else, the get discouraged, downtrodden and upset. Those are perfectly natural emotional responses to getting pummeled every time you step up to do what you love. It has to stop. Get it under control. Time to take a stand, fight back against the tides of woe and turn it around. The biggest thing you can do is remember that just because you didn't win everything you sat down at you will be learning. Getting more effective. Understanding and responding to situations better and more capably. Take the time to understand what didn't go right, was it something you did, something you didn't see, something you didn't understand. If you feel that you can't stay positive, look objectively at what you did and start to iterate and correct what has happened, get someone to work with you. Sometimes no matter how hard you try you just can't look at what you have done objectively, or you just can't see what is there no matter how hard you look. I know there are times when that happens to me. Get a support structure. Find players who you respect and are willing to listen to. Work with them. Get some coaching. Find someone to help get that horse to water. When you get to that water though, remember it is you that has to drink. Drink from the well and drink plenty, because there is power at that well.

Well it is time to go back to work. Coffee is cold and just about done and it is time to pay the rent. Remember you are going to lose in this game way more than you will ever win, but it is what you do with losing that will define you as a great player. The great ones learn and fix, the fish complain. Make your choice. It isn't easy but the rewards are there. This is the Gman signing out. May all your flushes be Royal!