I don’t know if it’s me just getting older but since I started playing online poker in 2005 I’ve started thinking about the game and how it relates to my everyday life. How each game is a new game, a new start, a second chance.

How each game starts with a chance at riches. Each new tournament brings new hope that will enable you to take the next step to poker greatness. I look back at some of the twists and turns that I’ve taken in some tournaments and I think about the ups and downs of everyday life. Some are good, some are not so good … and some are great !

I think the one thing I think about the most is that I have the potential to make both better. Its my choice. I can choose to work on my poker game, analyze my mistakes and work on improving my play for the next game.

For me, developing patience and discipline were/are 2 of the hardest things in poker to work on. I’ve had some limited success but I think I am slowly getting better. Sometimes I take a step forward, sometimes I leap forward and sometimes I feel I haven’t moved forward at all.

So far in 2009 I have been moving forward with my game play and it has shown in my results thus far. From 2005 to the end of 2008 I’ve realized just less than 10k in profit. My goal is to double that in half the time. I’m a big believer in goals. You have to have something to work toward and once you’ve reached that goal you take some time to celebrate and then set a new goal. I will always strive to be better.

Like poker I have looked at ways to improve my life. Each new day is a new tournament so to speak, a new chance. There is less and less time to be angry or lose your temper or to, as I now put it, indulge the dark side. Lets face it, we only have one life. Why not make it the best it can be ? Why not cash everyday in the game of life. (I hope that’s not to corny!)

So now I work constantly at improving both. I take what might seem like disadvantages and turn them into advantages. I make note of my mistakes in poker. I don’t dwell on them and say “why always me.”

I correct them the next time the situation arises therefore improving my play. Everyday I look at things that make me angry or loose my temper and now ask why and try to correct it if I can or at the very least work on it. I can truly say I have more “happy” days now then I have ever had.

In life as in poker you make a series of choices to try and improve both.

What choices will you make ?