Poker, Blackjack and Life - Choose Your Game Wisely

Life. And with that one word many of you already want to close the window. How can such a simple word that defines what we are doing here, turn out to be such a cliche? When someone says to you that the most important thing in life is actually life itself then you might want to take a few steps back and leg it in the opposite direction. The very thing that they are doing, living life (which on case you hadn't noticed, we have very little choice about taking part in), turns out to be the most important thing to most people. To me what this suggests is that people are making-do with the basic stuff and not finding something to really fall in love with and cultivate a passion for. I'll tell you a little story that might well turn out to be the big story that is your 'life'.

Imagine we are playing a massive game of cards (yes this is cliche again but you'll forget about that in due course). Now the dealer is a surly git who has been working at this table for 12 hours straight without a break. His back is aching but he's taken enough money from the punters tonight to entitle him to a free drink at the bar at the end of his shift - 10 minutes to go until he gets to sink a nice glass of port and brandy. You walk up to the table, a little giddy from too many whiskies at the bar after you're luck came in at the fruit machines. You flop into the seat beside the table on your own, all set for your final flutter at this game everyone is calling 'Life' - confidence courses through your veins, riding alongside the alcohol. One bet is all this will take because you're going to win. Not even this sour faced dealer who keeps looking at his watch can dampen your spirits. You put everything you have on this one hand; no holding back because you're going to win. The cards are thrust towards you, crashing one after the other. They seem to lie in a middle ground between you and the incessant time keeper across the table - a no man's land if you will. But they are yours and you slide them towards your chest with a swift sweeping action that only Dutch courage could induce. The first couple of cards read well: you've got the 'supportive friends' and 'good education' cards. The next three put you down a little ('fall in love but lose', 'betrayal' and 'down days' cards) but you know you've got a winner on your last card - wrong. It's the 'go back to the start' card and you're back to reality with a bump because all you've managed tonight is a loss and ensuring tomorrow's sore head. One bad hand and it all goes to pot; that's what you've learned tonight.

I'll leave you to work out what the morals of the story are but I'll be kind and give you a starting point. Think about the dealer and his attitude; the cards and what they represent (what could the other cards in the pack be?); the false confidence; and finally think about yourself. Sometimes it's better not to put everything you ever had on the line for something that you could have (a 'maybe' doesn't satisfy me most of the time). To use a line from White Christmas (one of the best festive films in my opinion): "count your blessings". Life itself is not the most important thing; it's the things that make up our lives that matter. Don't tell people you 'love life'; tell them what you love about it - that way things might just fall into place.

Thank for reading,

Martin