I’m pretty sure that every one of you had to go through periods of emotional burnout. The sense of dissatisfaction with your efficiency, concentration problems, lack of motivation to do your work. While it is not exactly a pleasurable and desirable condition, if it’s approached from the proper angle, such upset mental state may allow us to look back and observe which decisions have driven us to the wall.
The conclusion of my in-depth analysis is that my will to play and motivation have begun to noticeably suffer around the 2nd half of July (this blog is an attempt to boost it, somewhat). The state I was in had been partially concealed by taking a 2-week-long vacation. I managed to recharge my inner batteries, but in August my A-game already started to appear far more rarely than I had hoped for.
Work - Life – Balance
In my opinion, keeping right balance between playing poker and other areas of life is essential, especially if someone considers poker a career path rather than a hobby, or only an additional source of income. In his podcasts, Jared Tendler points out time and time again that the majority of poker players don’t even realize how much mental energy is required to play this game. I’ve experienced it firsthand numerous times, and I recognize now how important it is to routinely take the time off.
My current work system looks as follows: I take 4-5 days off at the end of each month and then also an 8 to 12-day-long vacation every quarter. In addition to that, I don’t play 2-3 days a week, and I spend that time on improving my mindset, working on the tactical side of the game and also I do all sorts of non-poker activities. The period of complete breakaway from poker is necessary for the mind to recover before the another cycle of regular grind.
The ultimate goal, however, should be the pursuit of the utmost satisfaction resulting from doing your work day by day. In the end we spend 1/3 of our lives working or thinking about it, which is why we should seek to make this time as enjoyable as possible.
` If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable.` Donald Trump
Keeping it Real
Another important skill is setting realistic objectives for yourself. In the past, after a particularly good month I sometimes found myself counting all those ‘hundreds-thousands-millions’ of Buy-ins I won, only to overhaul my goals (and dreams () later and deal with frustration during the revision period.
I acknowledged that wanting too much too soon usually led to discouragement. I failed to see progress, despite the fact that it was happening all along. Instead of taking joy in improving my skills on day-to-day basis, I was blinded by some distant targets and overblown ambition.
Why?
I believe this is the question each of us has to ask themselves in the first place. Why exactly do I work in this peculiar field? What is the driving force behind my actions? What are my life expectations or my goals, and how will achieving them eventually affect my life?
As a person deeply fascinated with the personal growth, I’m familiar with works of the majority of the most influential people in this area of study. I’ve learned a great number of curious patterns and metaphors which definitely enriched my life. The person whose work has had possibly the biggest impact on me was Tony Robbins. When I read his body of work, or above-all watch seminars and presentations, I can see the man who really practices what he preaches.
‘I'm the ‘why’ guy. I want to know why you do what you do. What is your motive for action? What is it that drives you in your life today? Not 10 years ago. Are you running the same pattern? Because I believe that the invisible force of internal drive, activated, is the most important thing. I'm here because I believe emotion is the force of life. ‘ T. Robbins
The picture
It`s hopefully the last time this year I`m posting my graph. Last month I managed not to check my winnigs for the entire month, and it had a great impact on my mental game.
To sum it up, if we treat experience in a proper fashion, we might be able to reach conclusions which can allow us to become more efficient at work, and make us feel more fulfilled as human beings in the end.
‘It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.’
‘Invictus’ William Ernest Henley
Being a professional poker player is a career path, a life path even. The road towards being successful in poker, is not much different than a path to success in other areas of life. You need to gain theoretical knowledge, and most importantly put your knowledge into action every day, ceaselessly trying to do your best. Honestly, the knowledge without application is not worth much.
I`ve been in the poker industry for 8 years, however I started to treat it as a career path just 3 years ago. Reading Dusty ‘Leatherass’ Schmidt’s ‘Treat Your Poker Like a Business’ has been a major influence on me. After going through it, I realized that in terms of professional approach I’m light years away from the best in the field. I’ve been trying to improve the efficiency of my performance ever since.
What and who this blog is about.
Two things I’m obsessed with the most are healthy lifestyle and mind growth. My site will dedicate a fair amount of space for the topics of diet and the broadly-defined mindset development.
What can you expect? Plenty of citations, be it quotes from the great thinkers of the classicism, or some memorable cinema characters.
Information about efficiency-enhancing strategies, boosting your emotion control both at the poker table and in everyday life, or an oatmeal with apple mousse recipe
Moreover, there will be a ton of curious TED presentations, facts regarding investing capital, and the coverage of business training courses which I am planning to participate in.
Obviously there will be a huge number of poker-related articles as well.
Scorecard
The last 3 months was quite pleasant for me. I`ve changed a lot in my strategy and improved my mindset profoundly compared to the first few month of 2015. (the graph is from NL200-NL1k)
Quo vadis?
I like to call the place I’m heading to the pinnacle. In my personal dictionary this term symbolizes achieving the maximum of one’s potential. In poker it means being as good as possible, whether in terms of tactical, or mindset capacity. In everyday life it represents the growth in areas which I hold in the highest regard, such as interpersonal relations, physical development and language learning. I strongly feel that life is a never-ending process of self-improvement, and the greatest strength is an ability to consciously experience the present moment.
‘The Journey is what brings us happiness not the destination.’ 'Peaceful warrior'
Finally, I’d like to thank you, dear reader, for the time spent on reading my reflections. I hope it is just the beginning of a long-term relation, which will prove advantageous for both sides. Our journey starts here and now!
‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.’ - Lao Tzu
