This year has been a very interesting one for me. If I could categorize it with one word I would call it polarized. I’ve had some excellent high points but also some difficult times. This is probably similar to everyone else’s situation, since life always promises us new surprises and that is what makes it the great thing that it is. However, all these swings have pivot points to them that will decide if these ups and downs will be positive or negative for you, and we all control where it will go, up or down.
To me, perspective is what creates these pivot points. For every single experience or situation we face, we have a choice on how we approach it. Will it be positive or negative? This choice will greatly define not only the kind of lives we live but also what kind of person we are and will be. How we approach everything on very general and broad terms will always spread to the smaller every day situations that we encounter. In the end, it’s these every day things that will end up defining what tomorrow will be like.
Just think of your perspective as a megaphone that shouts marching orders to you, consciously or not.
While this basic concept applies to pretty much everything we do or think, from the food we like to the kind of career we choose, I would like to talk about how it relates to things we face in poker every day.
Let me give you a very basic example of a pivot point in poker. You lose a big pot because villain made a very bad play but won the hand anyway. The pivot point would offer us two choices: to get pissed off because we lost the hand, or we remind ourselves that we played the hand well, take note of what villain did and move on, still focused and still positive about future hands.
Another example.. Mr. Bob has been crushing the games for 2 years now with a huge sample size to back it up. On the 3rd year he breaks even for a long time and starts to doubt himself. This is a very important pivot point since it might define his poker results for the next year, or more. Will he wallow in his “misery” and feel bad for himself or will his perspective be a constructive one where effort and a positive outlook are kings?
These crossroads happen dozens of times each day in all areas of our lives. How do you approach them? You can see how the way we approach them might have huge impacts on our lives and, specifically to poker: how much success we will have playing it.
All this sounds very simplistic because it is.
Despite all the confusions and uncertainties in our lives, our perspectives can be manipulated to our liking and with it, we can achieve anything. All it takes is the right mindset and the right approach. It can sometimes takes a lot of energy but, in the end, it really is just like flicking a light switch. The rest of the work will take care of itself because once we open a light, it spreads to everything else around it naturally.
Once this happens, anything is possible. Even the slightest change in how we approach something can set off a chain reaction in our lives that might positively affect so many things in the long run that we will have completely forgotten how it all started. These a-ha moments where we can see where our perspectives have been negative or wrong are extremely valuable because once the seed has been planted, our minds will organically seek ways to reach those new and more positive outlooks and ways of living and thinking.
Some lights might be harder to switch on but that is only because we have been programmed since childhood to think certain things. Maybe you were always picked last in gym class and now you feel like you can’t possibly be great anything. Perhaps you won a marathon when you were 16 and you believe you’re able to do anything and be the best… the older the perspective the harder it is usually to change it but also, to recognize it.
We often believe that things have been set for us and that we’re just living out the course of our lives, but there is a lot more control to it than we think. And this includes control over our poker results. Luck is just an illusion. It’s what we do that really ends up defining how well we do and if all the right perspectives are aligned the same way, then great results can be achieved regardless of natural skill level, bankroll or stakes.
The amount of work we put in and the discipline we have with poker are all results of having a constructive and positive approach to what we do. If we start to feel negative about it, how can we possibly reach our full potential? By letting negativity creep up into our minds, we just invite it to taint everything we touch, off and on the tables. What else in our minds could we tweak to achieve our goals with poker and in life?
In the end, every single thing we do is connected together. Everything. And if your goal is to become a better poker player then I would invite you to look at every part of your mental game and seeing where your perspectives might conflict with your end goals. Are you able to face adversity in a positive and constructive way? Do you understand and accept variance? Are you managing your time well? Are you living a healthy lifestyle? All of these are greatly affected by if your outlook is positive or negative.
Everything is worth looking into, as you might learn a thing or two about yourself along the way.
gl
