they take your money

sometimes you receive advice from the unlikeliest of places…

while shooting the shit with one of my good family friends (andy, we’ll call him), who also happens to be my older brother’s best friend, the conversation turned to volleyball. specifically, i shared with him how challenging the transition from playing on the east coast to playing on the west coast has been. the sheer talent here is just greater than anywhere else. the best of the best flock to southern california and, even though i knew this coming in, competing against the best is different than anticipating competing with the best. why? because they take your money. and sometimes your self-esteem…the heightened competition forces you to look deep within yourself and ask, “how bad do i really want it?” i was winning on one side of the country and here i am losing on the other. the flip-side, of course, is that you get better playing against better people—at least, that’s what’s supposed to happen.

anyhow, i was surprised by how easy it was for andy to relate to my situation, seeing as his love lies in cards. twenty-six and fresh from finishing his service in the army, andy flew to las vegas to play poker. he’s been an avid player for years, building upon his skills and gaining experience mostly through online gaming. after listening to my california woes, he told me that he went through a similar realization during his vegas trip. while on the east coast, he could play cards on yachts and clean house, but going to sin city was a whole different ball game. the best players from all over the world come to vegas to play high stakes poker, which i realized is just as intimidating to him as all the talented beach volleyball players are to me. different game, same concept. and in both, they take your money!

i’ve never considered myself the gambling type. sure, there was that one time in atlantic city when i didn’t return to the hotel until 5 a.m. from playing blackjack, but that was with someone else’s money. big difference. you know, i don’t think you need chips to be a gambler. our lives are like a string of poker games. we are dealt a hand and must place our bet with only the information that is right in front of us: our present. should i take this opportunity? should i go there to be with him? should i quit? forget about six months from now. forget about the cards that the other players are holding. you can only control the hand you’ve been dealt, and it takes knowing yourself--and a little leap of faith--to just make the best call that you can with the information that you have at any given moment in your life. it’s really that simple.

no one can tell you when to call and when to fold besides you. and that’s my lesson for the day.