Staring at my five cards, I evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of my hand. I had to make the daring decision of whether to stay in the game or take my losses and bail out. How I wished I could throw away my weak cards and pick up a couple of aces. Five Card Stud is a tough poker game and I had no choice—I had to play the hand I was dealt.
Then, suddenly, after the game was done and I suffered heavy losses, I was struck by a flash. With crystal clear acuity I could visualize my own personal strengths and weaknesses, just like I could see the strengths and weaknesses in my poker hand. It was as if my entire life was sprinting through my mind at warp speed and all of my triumphs and failures were put on display for harsh and bitter critique. My personality traits that lead to those triumphs and failures were like the cards in my hand—good, bad and ugly—and sadly there was more ugly to report than anything else. It was no wonder I suffered through so much frustration. I had a weak hand—or better yet, a weak attitude.
Two of my "personality" cards were extremely weak. At the top of the hit list was disorganization, which fed directly into the chaos in my life. It became crystal clear that I had to get organized to operate efficiently, there was no other choice. But, my stinkin' thinkin' was that since I was born disorganized I was cursed forever. I figured I may never be able to break free from the throes of it. Then I thought why try to overcome it? I’ll never be perfect. My solution was to work through it by doing one clever thing: simply put a mechanism in place to guide me in the right direction and keep me focused. By doing that all I had to do was be disciplined enough to maintain the mechanism. It was really just a different way to frame the problem and solve it. You don't have to overcome all of your shortcomings, you just have to know how to work around them.
My other weak card was lack of total belief. This became blindingly obvious because I always worried. I was never able to relax. I also lacked the courage to let go of certain security blankets which weighed me down, thwarting many of my efforts and deteriorating much energy to go after the bigger fish. A friend once told me don’t let the little money get in the way of the big money. Sometimes you have to let go, take the dare and let the spirit be your guiding light. And also, if you cling to past successes they often become stumbling blocks, not stepping stones, to greater achievement and joy. Unconsciously your fists can be clenched on something with a vice grip, when something much greater is within your grasp. It’s like trying to steal second base with one foot on first. When you truly believe you don’t hesitate, you go for it. I overcame this weakness by letting go a little at a time until I lost my fear of failure and ridicule. Keep in mind that small triumphs give you the courage and momentum to take on big challenges.
Then I had two powerful cards which made my hand exciting. The first was a never say die attitude. Watching Tiger Woods has inspired me to the highest degree. He can be having the worst golf round of his life, yet he continues to give a thousand percent because he has total belief in what the Creator has given him. He knows that if he just hangs in there, regardless of how badly things are going, oftentimes the competition will fade away and he'll be the last man standing. You may never be the most talented, but you can always be the toughest mentally—and I'd take toughness over talent any day. Simply put, you have to be “crazy enough” to believe when everyone else thinks you’re a fool. When times get tough for you, just think about the consequences if you cave in and give up. Death seems like a better option than quitting. You have to fight to the bitter end.
My other power card was the ability to develop my skill set and use it to my best advantage. Everyone on earth has god given skill or a natural inclination in some area. If you’re always searching for a way to succeed, you’ll eventually find out what your natural abilities are. Then all you have to do is find a way to use them in a positive fashion. One day I found out I could write, which is a great asset. I also found out that I could do television, radio and public speaking. Some people have many talents, some have only a few, but regardless of how many talents, skills or natural abilities you possess, develop them to the highest level possible. If you're able to do so, watch out—your life may take off.
Then there was my hole card, the most powerful one. I’ve always been able to network and develop relationships, which is and will always be my saving grace. If all else fails, that I can do. What quality do you have that won’t let you down? For me the quality of my relationships will determine exactly how far I’ll go in this world, whether it’s professionally or personally. If you have good karma and sincerity you may be shocked, amazed and delighted by some of the things a casual acquaintance may do for you. If you carry with you an aura of compassion, success and knowledge, people are drawn to you and doors open for you. Also, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, so you must be genuinely interested in what makes other people tick. They say there are six degrees of separation but, when you are able to network effectively, there are only about two or three.
Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to evaluate your own hand. You may have five great cards or five poor ones. Whatever you have, you have to play to win. But there is one other thing that’s more important than all the strengths and weaknesses you possess. How’s your poker face? Are you able to stare in the face of adversity and not blink. The best poker players oftentimes have the weakest hands because they don't blink. Have you ever wondered why someone with no advantages at all could succeed at the highest level? Some are born dirt poor, no mother, no father, no education, unhealthy—yet they still find a way to succeed. They have great poker faces and they know how to play the hands they’re dealt.
Copyright by Kirk Charles, 2004. Redistribution or reprinting of any kind, in any type of media, without the prior written authorization of Kirk Charles is strictly prohibited.
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