04.14.08
If I Knew Then What I Know Now……
It was one year ago that I woke from my bed as a man without a real job. I was not exactly sure where my journey would take me when I left the corporate world behind but I knew the timing was right. I had spent enough time feeling underutilized and unimportant, I had enough money saved, I had enough leads for other lines of work, and of course there was this thing called poker that I could not stop thinking about.
I really didn’t think that I was going pro – I was just hoping I could make enough money from poker plus some of these other lines of work that I would be able to maintain the lifestyle I wanted for myself and my children. Well, those other things I was thinking of doing never happened and poker quickly took center stage. Only once over the last year did I really worry that I couldn’t make it and that I might have to start pumping out resumes looking for a traditional job. But luckily that never happened and I am happy to say that I am still in love, still learning, still passionate, and still moving forward with poker.
For those that don’t take the game seriously, poker is something to do. It is a night out with friends. It is drinking a few beers. It is enjoying a good cigar. For a poker player, it is a lifestyle. It’s a way of thinking. It’s looking at all the options before making a decision and choosing the path that is best for you. It is very much more than a game – it is a way of living and looking at the world. Poker and life have so many similarities that becoming good at one can certainly help you become better at the other.
I would say that it has been a good year. It has not been easy. There were good times and bad times but through it all I grew stronger, I learned, I persevered, and I moved forward. I am better today than I was yesterday but not as good as I hope to be tomorrow.
- Mark
PS I wouldn’t change a thing!