Thoughts

Inspired by a thread on 2p2 and dodgy's blog. What makes a great player? Why do some excel and some fail? What do I need to do to be a success in my eyes in poker? Sure, I can make decent money right now, but there's so much higher to get to. What do I think about my chances of 'making it'? 100%, if I work hard enough and smart enough. So do I want to be a success? Yes, but at what cost? What does it take to make it? I guess defining what I think a success is would be useful. Let's say a 5/10 and 10/20 excellent regular. A few hours a day playing these stakes at my A-game would be $500k+/year. So what does it cost to make it to this level of success? 1000's of hands, sweating/coaching sessions, theoretical understanding, practical experience, bankroll management, tilt and emotional control, the ability to think differently and creatively about the game, etc. Do I possess these qualities? To be honest, most of them I do. Basically the only thing holding me back from making 5 figga's consistently a month is the number of hands I put in. Why am I not completely motivated though? It feels like I am wasting this opportunity. But the achievement of 'making it' is just more money in the bank. So? I'm not arrogant to say money doesn't mean anything to me. If I did I would just be a spoiled 'rich' kid, relatively speaking, who has never had a problem with money. But how does my life change if I make $50k this year or $200k? No, I don't buy a car, I don't spend it much differently than I do now. So what's the motivation? Well for one I need to make money to provide for my future. Poker is such an opportunity. What I want poker to do for me is to provide the cash needed for my investments and businesses. So the more money I make now gives me so many more opportunities in a couple years for business. When I look at what I've done this year I'm pretty sick. 4 hours a day will average out to, lets say, 1100 hands. 1100 hands * 30 = 33000 hands per month. At 4ptbb/100 at 2/4 that's $10560/month. I expect to play higher levels, possibly achieve a higher winrate, etc. That's a ton of money I'm giving up if I'm only playing 10000 hands/month. Alright I just drew up a schedule that I posted on my wall in front of my comp. I have playing times/week listed at 28.5 right now. Should be good. It's time to get serious yo. Ciao.