Anyone who follows poker religiously will know exactly what I mean when I say that poker and life just aren't that different. This may say like some hokey pokey bullshit but when you really start to boil it down it makes perfect sense. In poker you have to try and remain disciplined and patient. You need to learn how to cope with your emotions while making a series of decisions, big or small. You will ride waves of highs where you feel totally untouchable. And the lows where you feel helpless, desperate and alone. Ultimately, you will make a whole bunch of mistakes...whether you know it or not is a whole different aspect. To quote S.J Watson (I have no idea who this but googling 'hindsight quotes' is a lovely little read.
"“It's so difficult, isn't it? To see what's going on when you're in the absolute middle of something? It's only with hindsight we can see things for what they are.”
We have all been there. From relationships, friends and family. To work, sport and everyday hobbies. We can all finish the sentence "I can't believe I..."
Poker, obviously, is no different.
I can't believe I called his 3bet out of position with AJo, I can't believe I called his all in with only pocket jacks, I can't believe I didn't bet the turn and now he's probably hit his flush on the river.
Mistakes are a fundamental part of the game. But it's how you react to those mistakes that, I believe, really separates the men from the boys (Or should I say 'girls from the women' because no doubt I'll get called sexist for some unknown reason).
So while I seem to make mistake after mistake after mistake, that in itself is not the problem. The problem would be if I didn't try and learn from them. To take a step back and understand that in both poker and life, mistakes are just as important as the successes.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
- Winston Churchill
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