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All on the Table
What are we really doing when we “put all our cards on the table?” What cards? What table?
There was a fad not so long ago … maybe it’s still going on today … but Texas Hold ‘Em Poker was the rage. Who knew the difference between a “River” and a “Flop” before about 2003?
In Poker there’s predictably a point in the game where you’re holding what you think is a killer hand. You might have to “up the ante” because somebody else is thinking the same thing, then those who haven’t folded put their cards on the table and let the chips fall where they may.
The expressions that come from card games serve as reminders on strategy, guessing, “Fake it ‘til you make it,” when not to push your luck and when to say, “What the hell, I’m all in!” Going after those things that we want means taking risks without really knowing how the game will turn out.
But seriously, there’s nothing worse than playing a game of poker, getting a great hand, then upping the ante only to find out somebody else has an Ace to your King, or a Straight Flush to your Full House. But will a big loss be enough to keep you from throwing your cards on the table again? I mean a real kind of loss, like an investment gone sour or a business that took a big hit in the recession?
Your cards are going to change from game to game, as will the amount of chips you win and lose. But when we’re talking about laying our cards on the table, we gotta think about that table too.
If you’re playing on a three-legged table, well … you may still win from time to time, but ultimately that table isn’t gonna hold up over the long run, yes or yes? Your table’s got to be as strong as the cards you’re holding.
Play your cards if that’s what makes sense, but you have to be playing from a strong foundation to begin with—your table has to be sturdy enough to support a great hand to play when its time to play it. That support comes from the belief you have in yourself as well as your ability to play your cards to maximum effect. Those beliefs end up being the table’s legs, as my good friend Tony Robbins used in a metaphor. The more support you have in your legs, the stronger the table. In other words, start the game with self-supporting beliefs.
We can develop beliefs around anything if we find enough references to support it, yes? If we’re talking about financial success, you have to believe that you can or deserve to be a financial success. You have to visualize being there, like you belong there. The roots of our beliefs go deep.
What do the legs of your table look like right about now? What support can you honestly give yourself that—no matter what cards you happen to be holding at the time—you can lay them out with pride and confidence that you actually stand a chance of winning? Is one of your legs ‘persistence,’ or ‘willing to try new things’; or creativity, leadership, influencing? Whatever these legs are, they need to be true for you, and only you know that. If you don’t, asked trusted loved ones for support—then stand up!
You have to know when to hold ‘em, fold ‘em, go for it and call it a day, but know what legs you’re standing on, too.
7 thoughts on “All on the Table”
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I think one of those legs needs to be knowledge. Take time to build that leg through books, mentors, and coaches. Then when you play the game you will be confident your table will hold out for the game to go on.
Josh Bulloc
How can I help?
My first response was, like you said, “My God, what cards do I have?” While I don't know what legs I'm standing on other than a couple of extraordinary friendships, I do know that one of my cards is understanding that taking the time to listen can be just as valuable as the willingness to take action. There's my blah blah blah for the day. Ehappy Friday.
Exercise those legs and then know that you're all in and will successfully complete the race in record time…
Thanks Harv, another great little story to get me thinking… Bernadette
We are trully living!
Well, one of the best ideas I ever heard is to put them in some water and freeze them in the feezerr. That way, they don’t fit in your wallet, so you can’t take them shopping. If there is a TRUE emergency (like your car breaks down and you have to fix it so you can get to work for example) you can melt the ice and use your card. It just makes it so it isn’t so handy for all those impulse purchases and I have known several people who have managed to pay off their credit cards this way.As far as needing the information to cancel them, when you call in, they pretty much just need to be able to ask you identifying questions in order to make sure they are cancelling for the right person.If you are really serious about it and you don’t want these cards anymore, but just need to pay them off, then you should call up the companies and ask them if you can just cancel your account so that it is disabled and you can’t use it anymore you just want to make the payments and pay it off. You might be able to make some kind of arrangements that way.Also, if you have more than one and they are at different interest rates, the best way to pay them off is to make the minimum payment on all of the ones except the highest interest rate one. Then choose a certain amount that you will pay on that one each month that is more than the minimum. Then when it is paid off, use that same amount of money PLUS the amount you have been paying on the second one to continue to pay off the second one and so on and so on until they are all paid off.Good luck. It is a good thing to rid yourself of credit card debt. It can really get you into a mess that is hard to get out of. You will feel so great when you get it all paid off just don’t go out and celebrate by charging something again! lol
Thanks everyone! I fiugre I better make sure I take some good photos every fall for the next few years, because posing them for a special Holiday shoot is just not going to happen!