For those of you that play card games such as poker, there always come a point in the game where you have a decision to make…
Your calculating your odds of winning with the hand you have been given…
Does one of the other players have what it takes to win…?
Or do YOU have what it takes to win?!
It’s the same way in life. Everyone has drawn the hand they are dealt. And each person gets to choose how they play with the cards they are given.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. When should I struggle to attain something, and when should I not because it is not worth it.
As the old saying goes… “Some things are worth fighting for, some things are worth dying for.” And only you can decide what those things are.
And the opposite saying is this… “He who runs away, lives to fight another day.”
Is there wisdom in both? I think so. Some of the best leaders, whether on the football field or the battlefield, know how to choose their battles wisely.
They decide what is worth it and what is not, then they fight like no other to win. No, you can’t win them all. But you don’t win anything if you don’t try.
So I think the middle ground is the best. My own personal belief is that I need to be wise enough to know when victory is certain…
And to have the courage to go after it when I believe I can win!
Jeremy,
I am reading a book on prosperity right now that follows Kabballistic teachings. One of the great points I think the book makes is that nothing of value comes and stays with you without it being a direct result of your efforts. Nything that comes to you without effort is likely to cause misery and heartache.
Still trying to wrap my head around that one, but I believe it may be true.
George
.-= Tumblemoose´s last blog ..The King is Dead – Long Live the King! =-.
Great article, fortunately in real life we have much more time and resources to win a situation if we really want to. We just don’t have to stick with the wrong one for too much time.
.-= Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..To Specialize in Your Niche, or Not? =-.
Always weight up the costs and benefits of actions, this way you know exactly when to cut back on trying one thing and focus your energy into another.
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He who runs away, lives to fight another day great saying, i always say “wait for the right time to act”.
At the moment something becomes “fighting” the battle is already lost. This has physical, spiritual and emotional applications.
I know, Jeremy, that you are not necessarily using “fight” in a negative connotation; however, I believe it is useful for one to perceive any struggle as a resistance to accept “the way things are,” which is arguably unhealthy and potentially self-destructive.
This is not to say that one should simply “give up” whenever there is a struggle — it involves the acquisition of the knowledge and acceptance of the time to move on, which is precisely your point in this post (I think).
“Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure. But unfortunately, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept it. Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer.” ~ D.T. Suzuki
.-= Kent @ The Financial Philosopher´s last blog ..Beware of ‘Confirmation Bias’ =-.
This site contatins great information, thanks for sharing
great stuff.. keep it up…
We never give up hope. We have to just wait for right time.
Now Jeremy.. certainly, “everyone has drawn the hand they were dealt,” cannot possibly be true. Really? Senator Kennedy drew the brain cancer card, or my kids drew the Autism card, or Somalian children drew the starvation card? We do not necessarily, and intentionally draw the hand that we are dealt.. many times, certain cards have been thrust in our hands.. some cards CAN be discarded as we draw new ones, and some we have to hold onto as we cannot change the situation.. even if that means our hand may not be the winning one. Yes, we can play the cards we are dealt to the best of our ability, and some of us are better poker players for having been given, “the lousy cards.”
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Very insightful quotes. I agree that you need to find a healthy balance of both approaches. The trick is gaining enough experience to know when a battle may be too difficult. Naive people will often struggle through tough battles as they lack the ability to decide what is worthwhile. Still I think it is better to fight a battle and lose instead of running away from it in the first place.
Very nice post! I m really enjoying it very much. keep it up…..
Also you can win the battle and lose the war.
You’re perfectly right, you have to know when to ‘fold’ and just move on instead of holding on and losing it all.
.-= Buy PSP Go´s last blog ..Gran Turismo Free With PSP Go Pre Order! =-.
I believe it is important for every winner to know when it is time to fold and let it go. I think that is what sets True winners apart from others.
Till then,
Jean
@Omar–Also you can win the battle and lose the war. I can’t understand what you wanna to say. Your comment have two different meanings.
@Oscar – freestyle mind– I am very much concern with your point of view that we have many resource and options to handle the situation.
It is important to pick and choose your battles, but I think folding is too drastic. Instead of folding, you can approach something more cautiously with long term goals in mind. Sure go after the easier battles first, but don’t fold just because something looks too intimidating.
You know, I have since been thinking about this a little bit and I think that quitting sometimes requires the great courage than staying with something that should be given up on.
.-= PSP Go´s last blog ..Buy Sony PSP Go – Quick Buying Q&A =-.
That’s a good analogy, and I think in many ways poker does mirror life – hard decisions, knowing when to fold or when to go “all in”. The eastern “Go” players use the same analogy with go, except that while poker players probably consider poker good practice for life, they consider life good practice for go!!