Words of Wisdom

Hey!

Warning, this is a mind-dump and non-poker related. So if your after reading my thoughts, carry on, but if your after something more poker-related, just wait for the next article!


I've recently been speaking to a few elders and relatives, and have decided now would be a good time to highlight some key principles that they have expressed as things worth doing to have a fulfilled life.

1) Take every opportunity that is offered to you

-You only live once, so don't pass up opportunities when your young and without commitments. Make the most out of what life offers.

2) Keep up the contacts with your friends throughout the years

-Now that I'm nearing the end of my education at university, it is already becoming increasingly obvious how easy it is to lose touch with close friends from school. I'm going to try to really work hard on this to put an effort in to ensure I maintain my good friends for years to come.

3) Concerning girls and thinking about long-term relationships; if in doubt: don't.

-If you are with a girl and want to take it to the next level (marriage, what-have-you) but have some doubts about the feasibility of this and if it will work effectively in the future then it most likely won't. Supposedly, one would know when it is right.

4) Always have a backup plan for any kind of committment

-This applies particularly for careers for me. I do think that after university I'll take a couple of years out to see if I can make a living playing poker. However, if this all fails, I will hopefully have a solid degree to fall back on which won't make it too difficult to find work again if all my other plans fail.

5) Stay Resilient in whatever you do

-Nothing in life comes easy, and you would have to be foolish for thinking that. Whatever I focus on I want to keep going, overcome difficulties and don't let things stand in the way of my goals. This particularly applies to poker due to the high volatility of the game. Even when I will inevitably be running terrible, losing day after losing day, keep focused, keep learning and keep optimistic. My Grandad highlighted how it is so vital to be able to develop the ability to survive and keep going when nothing is going your way.



These are all pretty wise words that I've gathered from speaking to family members and friends of the family for which I have a lot of respect for and believe that they can offer a lot of useful wisdom that I can incorporate into my own life.

While I'm on this reflective thought pattern, I think I'll note my current plans for the future.

In September I will be starting my final year of university. I'm currently averaging a 58% and it is my aim to bump this over 60% in order to achieve a 2:1 degree or higher. The final year is weighted at 70% of the overall degree so it's really important I just focus and get this good degree. I've spent the previous two years having an amazing time, partying and chilling with great people but now is the time to focus and really make sure I don't fuck this opportunity up.

After my third year, I think I'll take a year off. I've done quite a lot of looking into jobs and it was always my intention to head into London and follow an investment banking career. But after actually visiting Bloomberg and further looking into what is involved in this career path, I'm not really sure yet that this is what I actually want to do. I really don't think that I want to be doing the typical 9-5 just yet especially whilst im still young without any (too much) debt, work commitments or family.

I'll therefore see what poker can bring for me. At the current moment in time, I'm really really enjoying the online grind. Although it would be pretty nieve of me to say that I'de enjoy it to the extent if I wasn't riding the back of the heater I've had the past couple of months. Regardless, I think I've learnt a lot this year not only in poker but how to approach the game in a better angle.

So straight after uni next year I aim to hit Las Vegas as I'll be 21, and can't wait to see sin city itself in all its glory during the WSOP 2010. In the winter, I plan on going skiing in France, possibly living there and in the spring I'de like to revisit Asia. The Summer would undoubtably be Las Vegas once again if my interests still lay with poker. That is the great thing about playing poker, the freedom it allows. There would be no stopping me renting a chalet in France for a couple of months and ski all day and play poker at night. It's definately an enticing thought...

At the end of this year, I'll probably re-evaluate. Who knows, the games may not even be beatable then and I'll have to find something else to do. This may be pursue a masters degree if I'm motivated enough to re-enter education or require it to fit into the kind of job I'm looking for. Or it may be that I enter employment in a field of interest or even invest my bankroll into starting-up my own business.

Whatever lies ahead in the future, I'm pretty optimistic about it all now.