Poker, News and random rants about me, life in general and ... did I mention poker already?

Jul 11, 2010

Breaking out of the comfort zone

Sunday, July 11, 2010 Posted by Unknown , , No comments
The title might seem a bit strange for some of you, but it actually does not just apply for the real life, it also happens at poker as well in various ways. There have been several reasons to write this blog though, to mention a few:

- it has been a while since I posted my last serious poker related blog
- I think the topic suits to my current situation
- I would like to add more poker related content to Pokerspace and give some members food for thought ... it is up to the reader though what conclusions they make for themselves
- writing does help to analyze your own situation and find possible solutions through the own mind or the input from others

You might want to ask what a comfort zone is, well it exists in real life and also in the poker world and it is the point that people reach when they are satisfied with the current conditions and don't strive to get better to even improve. The problem is ... there is always room for improvement and if you want to be successful, you have to work on it all the time. Life and also poker is the everlasting fight against the own laziness and to stay up to date. Every human does have a certain level of satisfaction where he / she feels comfortable at and does not want to improve unless there are more benefits in sight. 

Many think when they reached a certain level of satisfaction and success that they don't have to do anything to maintain the status. They are happy with their current progress and profit and don't think outside the box. Everything is just straight forward and they fail to realize that the game and life is changing so fast, you just don't notice that instantly and wonder afterwards what happened and why it changed so fast. In fact, the process was not fast at all ... you just didn't notice anything because you didn't pay attention.

In life, this might hurt when it does get back to you and hits you in a moment where you have been feeling completely safe ... and it can cause serious damage. In poker, you almost always have the chance to come back because it is fairly easy to win back the money if you have reached a certain skill. But if you stay too long on lower levels and don't increase your horizon by investing time and money to learn more about the game, than you will be stuck and miss out on potential value in the long run.

Nobody ever said it was easy though, it is easy to learn the basics but takes a lifetime to master ... and you will have to be willing to continuously invest time and money into your education, either on the tables or coaching sites. But one thing is for sure ... the more you know about the game and the better you are prepared the higher the odds that you will actually make more profit. It is the same in real life as well ... if you work harder, someone will notice it. If you put more effort into a project and show more enthusiasm, the better your odds are that you will succeed. There are so many things in real life that you can convert and apply for poker as well, but you have to think outside the box and try to find the extraordinary. ABC Poker might be good for a steady and reasonable profit, but you will have to take some risk to move on and climb up another step on the ladder that seems to reach the sky when you look up. 

Nothing is impossible though at poker, all get 2 cards (well at least at the most popular version, NLHE) and after that a combination of luck, skill, anticipation and gut feeling. But the percentage of luck involved is influenced by your own education, knowledge and experience. It is the same at your job as well ... if you have just started working at this job, it is impossible that you will have the same knowledge and can do the work as effective as long time co-workers. It is up to you though to increase your knowledge and get better, it doesn't just fly around the corner and you have to open the gift bag. You need to be willing to risk something in order to improve or you will always be unable to increase your own level of satisfaction.

Sometimes it might hurt, but in the long run it is the right step ... you might not notice that because the pain is still for real, but when you look back after several years you will see the difference it has made and the influence it did have on you (and your game). But this also depends on your own willingness and target that you want to reach by playing - if it is just for fun, you will have by far less incentive to improve your game because you don't take the competition seriously. I hope though that does not apply for other parts of your real life as well. The ultimate goal for each person should always be to reach the highest possible personal level of satisfaction. How do you realize where this level is? Well, you will have to expand your horizon and try to accomplish something impossible or cross the personal limits ... otherwise, life would be pretty boring and I know for my part that this would definitely not satisfy me. 

I love to play poker, I love to write about poker and share my experience ... but I also talk a lot about poker with buddies or read online and in books to expand my knowledge. So far it treated me well, I know I am still far off from my ultimate goal but hey ... I am working on it and it will get better in the long run. Nobody can take the knowledge from you and you are responsible for it ... if you are just lazy, don't expect that you can win easily and beat others ... because they might be ahead of you and know more about the game. We will never be able to know everything, because there is just so much that you can learn - but if you keep trying, you will feel by far more comfortable at the tables as well.

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