It can be a challenge to create a worthwhile purpose before launching into a task, project or new venture. It’s much easier to just start doing something without really thinking about what or why you’re doing it. However, the time spent planning out what you’re going after, or at least having some idea or concept, can be time well spent and a worthwhile investment.
Purpose can be thought of as the fuel in the tank of a car. It keeps you going, even when you go off road or when the going gets tough. Without a clearly defined purpose your journey can lead you astray. Years of aimlessly wandering and floating around which in turn leads to ineffective actions that can produce nothing but faded dreams.
They say that “every journey begins with a first step.” Well, that first step is not a physical one, it’s mental! It takes place in your mind when you answer the following question and come up with a clear defining answer.
The first physical step comes in putting pen to paper, or putting fingers to the keypad and writing it out. Getting it out of your mind and declaring it into the physical universe. A postulate if you will.
After your purpose clearly is clearly stated and written out, it’s time to start defining some goals.
Your goals should be in line with your purpose. Stepping stones, so to speak, to realizing your purpose.
Imagine crossing a swift moving river atop boulders protruding from its surface. Each boulder is another goal that meant to take you to your destination…the other side. Where a purpose is more an overall idea or concept, goals are more physical and require doingness or physical effort.
It is important to keep your goals realistic, measurable and objective. Putting timeframes is also crucial. I could have a goal to just write a blog article, but by putting time into play, “by the end of the day,” prioritizes that goal and gives me a finish line. Otherwise it’s rather easy to slip back into a purpose or dream and say something like; “Oh, I have an idea to write a blog one day.” Those things we hope for and imagine, but never reach the light of day. So, this is where purpose and goals deviate.
My purpose might be “to make a living playing poker, so I can travel the world and live a fulfilling life doing what I love to do!” It was a dream of mine that became a reality through working towards accomplishing goals. A goal toward that end then would be, “to travel 100+ miles to a (specific) tournament series, play in 10 tournaments in the series and conclude that series paying for all my expenses and return home with a profit.” Definitely more specific, objective and measurable.
With goals, I encourage you to start small. Success not only breeds confidence, it also breeds more success! Failure, on the other hand breeds frustration, disappointment and resignation. A couple examples of smaller goals might be;
1. To research a tournament series and all expenses involved and design a budget.
2. To record and stat my last month’s results on a poker tracking app.
After you have a well defined purpose and some realistic goals you’d like to achieve, the next thing is Strategy!
Strategy is all about having a plan of action to accomplish your goals and realize your purpose. For example, in chess it may be “to quickly gain control over the center of the board in which to launch a blitz attack with my queen.” In poker, it might be “to play conservatively, sit back and wait to exploit my opponent’s mistakes.”
A effective strategy accomplishes the goal and produces the desired effect. Just like your goals should fit your purpose, your strategies should fit your goals. If your goal is to have a big chip stack in which you can leverage and instill fear in your opponents, then a more aggressive, attacking strategy would be more in line with that goal than a more conservative defensive strategy.
Your steps in carrying out your strategy will be known as your technique. The way in which you operate and carry out your tasks. We’ll get more into technique in another blog. These three mental aspects of planning your journey is a great start.
Purpose, Goals, and Strategy, are vital to put in place in highly competitive games like poker. One strategy that is put in place by the elite, but often missed by even great players, is an exit strategy.
An exit strategy does just that, exits you out of the game. This keeps the game cycle in perspective so it doesn’t overtake you.
Don’t lose yourself in the game. Always remember, you are senior to any game you play. You’re playing a game, you’re not the game.
Having the end in sight, even before you begin your poker journey, is a healthy thing to do.
What’s your exit strategy? What will you do once you’ve realized your purpose in playing poker? Even if you decide to continue playing poker, you can always design a new purpose for playing it. Just like people who buy failing businesses, take them over and make them profitable and then sell them for a profit. They exit that business and move onto the next one.
Make sure when you do leave the game, you leave on your terms with your purpose realized and feeling good about what you’ve accomplished. With that principle as your resolve, you will have won the game even before you started playing.
Enjoy the Journey!
Kenna
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