In response to the comments in my latest blog: - Page 2

try volunteering for charities/groups. you can be a positive force in society and meet new ppl

Im pretty sure what your looking for is someone to share all this with. I think if you dont have a serious girlfriend yet that would probably solve a lot of your emptiness.

Im curious about what sort of career you envision you will enjoy? You dont think everybody out there would like to have something that gives them pleasure doing? Its just so rare to find a work that gives you passion and satisfaction in which you can actualy earn a living.
I dont see why you cant try something else, poker is always here incase you change your mind and I think if you do end up in a "normal" job you will appriciate it much more afterwards.
On the topic of social life I agree with you, poker is very demanding in this aspect and I personally suffered a lot after discovering this game, but like nazgul said most of us just want to secure a future or at least make the foundation and this is one of the easyiest/fastest/more comfortable ways.
I dont rly know whats my point, just washing my head, gl man

Be a nice man like Jesus and give me money ( i'm a poor micro player )
J/K

Nah seriously you need to find a real passion in life. You have money so you can try lot of things. You are actually really lucky compared to the average broke student.

What do you like in life ?

For example:
You like Eco / business ? ---> get a good degree and you will probably find an interesting job.

So my advice is to study hard something you like and to get a job. You will have a lot of recognition from your parents or the average people and you will get some social interaction ( it will probably be disappointing though because most of the job interactions are very limited ).

On April 19 2009 17:31 vegable wrote: a man must search his whole life for purpose when he has fulfilled and completed a worthwhile mission, he may rest and enjoy the fruits of his labor. Then he must find another mission to complete, living his life with utmost purpose. as he completes each mission with passion and momentum, he gets closer and closer to his true inner self. Like peeling layers off an onion, the man will eventually find his ultimate goal and work to fulfill that as well.

This is so how I feel about it, thanks for posting this.

It's not just recognition. I don't enjoy playing poker. I want to do something I actually care about. I don't care about playing poker and making a lot of money right now. You earned a lot of money through liquidpoker but that's not actually playing poker. Because of poker and stacraft you have been able to create liquidpoker and have a stable income. That's totally different to actually playing the game itself with its huge ups and downs. I'm not saying I will totally devoid myself out of the poker scene I'm just saying I want to stop devoting so much time to actually playing.

I didn't mean to imply recognition was your only problem. It was simply the thing I thought I had something useful to say about because I agree with most other things you say.

I'm not sure I would be happy if I did only poker either. I'm quite sure I wouldn't because I have had a strong dislike for poker for some time now. Poker is draining and winning is the norm so it doesn't feel special but losing makes you feel like crap. It's messed up. Also adds little to nothing to society.

You're obviously right about quitting poker because you don't enjoy it and it doesn't make sense to do something you don't enjoy. Does it?

I'd be very surprised if the majority of the average human life was spent in a state of enjoyment or fulfillment. In fact I would be very surprised if there were any way to be constantly fulfilled given what we know about human biology and evolution. A happy, complacent ape, satisfied with his achievements, is not going to be around while other apes with similar capacities are motivated to constantly improve and adapt.

So, I don't think that pleasure / enjoyment / synonyms are really a sensible aim in life, at least not in the conventional sense. I think you've alluded to being interested in something more like continued "growth" as a person, and that seems more appropriate. If you've reached the ceiling of what poker has to offer you, and you don't need the income that it provides, then you can definitely make a good decision by choosing different ways to spend your time. The only caveat is that while it may not be true that money alone is sufficient for happiness, and that you can buy meaningful relationships or girls or whatever the same way you can buy a house, the opposite case may still be true. Many poor people may be generally unhappy because they're poor. So I wouldn't brush off monetary stability and success too lightly - even if it isn't enough, it may still be a lot.

On April 19 2009 17:46 Nazgul wrote: Show nested quote + It's not just recognition. I don't enjoy playing poker. I want to do something I actually care about. I don't care about playing poker and making a lot of money right now. You earned a lot of money through liquidpoker but that's not actually playing poker. Because of poker and stacraft you have been able to create liquidpoker and have a stable income. That's totally different to actually playing the game itself with its huge ups and downs. I'm not saying I will totally devoid myself out of the poker scene I'm just saying I want to stop devoting so much time to actually playing. I didn't mean to imply recognition was your only problem. It was simply the thing I thought I had something useful to say about because I agree with most other things you say. I'm not sure I would be happy if I did only poker either. I'm quite sure I wouldn't because I have had a strong dislike for poker for some time now. Poker is draining and winning is the norm so it doesn't feel special but losing makes you feel like crap. It's messed up. Also adds little to nothing to society.

hehe yeah so we kinda feel the same way.

yo U should try WoW

Look...u play poker and make x k$ per month. You have cash to rent flat, buy clothes, car and spend a lot for fun. Now look at my life...I'm working 8 hours per day and get 500$/monthly...after work I'm learning cuz I'm studying also, then I'm playing 1-2 hours daily NL10 to make some additional $...It is so f***kin life.Every day I'm thinking how to earn additional cash and how to increase my bankroll to earn more money from poker. I'm spending 10-12 hours looking at monitor... So don't tell me (us) you don't care about money...I don't believe it...give me 1k$ to increase my bankroll...you won't give me cuz you care about money;p If you don't have to ask yourself "how can I get money for this and that" it means your life is good... Many ppl here wants to be as good as you in poker. Others don't understand it because they don't uderstand what is poker. If u say to your non-poker friends that u earning 20k$ playing poker they will look at you with a kind of weird look but if you say u earning 5k$ running own restaurant they will admire your...thats sick but thats true...If you don't enjoy poker find other job. I'm pretty sure that after 1 month of real work you will quit it and value how good and enjoyable poker playing is.
1. 98% ppl on this planet do not enjoy their life, especially work...
2. Find a girlfriend;p
3. realize that your life is good thanks to poker
4. do not stop playing poker
5. plan your day

Well i can understand that u feel like its time for something new.

I dont think that poker is so negative for your life.
I think u just search for something new.

I was a drummer in several bands from 15th to 19th age ( started drumming at 12)
Well i was pretty good and stuff and i played lots of gigs and got lots of respect from all kind of people
I really love drumming

but at some point i just decided it was time to quit my career as a drummer
( funny that moment was when i met a very special girl)

I play for fun from time to time but i dont play in any bands anymore + i dont practice .
being a semi professional musician just consumes sooo much time.
i did this for 4 1/2 years and at one point i simply couldnt do it anymore.
practice 15-20h drumming every week + recordings at the studios on weekends + paractice sessions with other band members + driving to all kinda different cities for concerts.

basically drumming was consuming close to all my free time + it was very very unhealthy way of life ( mass alcohol + mass smoking + partying all time)
I feelt like my body really got runined a ton during that time.

Till even today from time to time different people on the streets who knew me from concerts ask me about my drumming.
And when i telll them that i quit, they can hardly ever believe.
What a waste of talent ! How can u ever quit ? U were drumming like God ! ( ofc they exxagerate a bit ^^)

Well i love drums and i love playing drums
but at some point in my life i just decided i wont be a musician anymore.

I just needed something different in my life
Thats when i started MMA

so maybe your situation is a bit similar
and after years of poker u just need someting new


GL

On a serious note, I agree with twisted in that winning in poker is somewhat of a drug. You take too much of it and too often and you start to lose sight of what happiness is. You start feeling less happy about winning but more unhappy about losing because your psyche always expects you to win. Eventually you're in a place where winning is no longer enjoyable but losing is simply devastating. Like getting addicted to a drug, being high becomes the everyday norm and when you're not getting that high your body and mind just feel like shit.

On April 19 2009 16:53 Twisted wrote: People saying stuff like 'how easy you have it and just spend the money on girls and partying' or 'poor you! all your success and money, it must be so difficult living a free life where you can change your plans in the blink of an eye because you don't have to answer to the man like everybody else does.' apparently don't know how reality works or just haven't experienced yet what it means to be successful in poker. I don't see how poker success is anywhere related to true success. What have I achieved? I am good at a game no-one in my direct life cares about. People are like 'oh cool you made a lot of money in poker' but they honestly don't care and they don't know what poker is/flatout don't understand it. What people care about is actually having achieved something in life like finishing an education and be good at a job people actually care about.

Why is it so important what others think about it? And do you think when you are an accountant/manager etc, people are going to care?

I think you overromanticize having a "normal" job and working for society. To be begin, the majority of people with "normal" jobs also do dislike their job at moments and don't think their jobs are fullfillings. Secondly, I think it is shortsighted that if you have a "normal" job in our mass consumption society you are doing something for society.

I am even older than you. I have a Masters degree, I worked a short time as a business analyst with top managers of a multinational and I can say that isn't also always exciting or fun. Due to the credit crunch I was fired in my probe period and now I am giving poker a try and I know the feeling that it can be tough, but I try to challenge myself with other things like learning a new language or writing articles and try to make time for family and friends. It is time management, but doable

Normal jobs have co-workers who care what you are doing. And not every normal job adds to society but poker adds less than them all.

When I was getting started like you I felt the exact same and poker was nothing but awesome, but eventually working alone all day can wear on you.

On April 19 2009 19:18 Nazgul wrote: Normal jobs have co-workers who care what you are doing. And not every normal job adds to society but poker adds less than them all. When I was getting started like you I felt the exact same and poker was nothing but awesome, but eventually working alone all day can wear on you.

Ok you have co workers who care. Agree.
Does a pro football/soccer player contribute to society? Does someone who works for Jamba (the ringtones), or in a weapon factory or is designing hummers contribute to society?
The way I see it is that jobs in this economic system aren't created to "help" society, but to earn money. There are noble people who really pursue helping society in their jobs or charitable work and I deeply respect them, but the majority of jobs are just a part of the mass consumption capatalistic society which we live in (not criticizing, just how I see it). And if you are able to earn your money with poker I consider having the same moral value as being an accountant/bank co-worker and many other jobs.

good luck erwin, from my own experience i know that only living for playin poker is rly sad.
go for your goals!

Meh, imo having friends and playing poker aren't mutually exclusive. If anything, you should have more time to be social when you play poker because you aren't stuck for 8-10 hours at work plus 1-2 hours commute per day. If you aren't making friends, don't dump that on poker. It's likely more to do with your personality than what you do. If you don't want to play poker any more that's fine, but don't think that all your social problems will magically disappear if you suddenly go to school to finish your studies. Upon leaving school you are likely to be a random grad with basically no marketable skills setting to work 8-10 hours a day and spending 1-2 hours commuting, getting paid $15-$25 an hour. No time to do anything but work or sleep during the week. Using weekends just to get rested up for the next work week. Saving money for your 2 weeks vacation a year. Seeing all the people around you spending most of their time with their gf/wife/kid at home. While you come home to an empty house because stopping to play poker did not magically turn into a chick magnet (thought that 9 to 5 job is pretty darn sexy).

Have fun.

Hey Twisted.



I'm sure you'll find a path you enjoy. If you don't enjoy what you do everyday and you have the luxury to change directions than you must do so.



However, don't just change direction for the sake of changing direction. Don't follow what other people think is "successful" just to please them.


Finishing a college degree isn't "success". Having a job isn't "success".


Being happy every single day of your life regardless of what you do is success.

get a job with no pay but great social interaction . grind/brag while at the office. makes sense imo.

On April 19 2009 20:13 Tien wrote: Finishing a college degree isn't "success". Having a job isn't "success". Being happy every single day of your life regardless of what you do is success.

Q FOR THE MOTHAFUKIN T