Quote Originally Posted by Keyser Soze View Post

MY ADVICE…

So the line I live by since 19 years of age was one given to my by an a contact from New York. He came from an Eastern European Jewish family. The system was simple. His line was:

“LIFE IS JUST A GAME OF POKER.”

Key Principles:

1. You are dealt a set of cards in life. As in poker, everyone is different, and so everyone dealt a set of cards.

2. Don’t whinge about your cards. You cannot control what you are dealt. That will only create bitterness. You can decide if they are good or bad, but complaining to the dealer won’t change it

3. Play the cards as best as you can. That is all you can do. Size up your odds and play each round

4. As in poker there are no guarantees if you play well that you win. As with poker, it is a game of probabilities. It is highly likely that good decisions or good luck will improve your hand. But bad luck, bad decisions and even good decisions that didn’t work out well can blow you out. So get good at thinking in probabilities and decision making.

As there are no guarantee of outcomes, all you can do is get to the end of the game and draw satisfaction you played your hand as best as you can. If you have done that, then you have played a good game
A fair crack at pinning things down but also personally interesting. I would answer the OP's question in terms of feeling comfortable with myself rather than achievement. Most of my life has been spent chasing ideals that I've been told are essential and I failed. I'm 54, single and have no real career to speak of and there are still dissenting voices that I haven't ticked "the right boxes" but what happens if some of us just aren't cut out for poker?

Is the advice one gives your 16 year old self merely about attainment or not worrying about the perceptions of an irrational, poker playing world? Or both?