Mentioned last time I was reading Peace is Every Step. It's a small simple book with bits of wisdom based around the Buddhist philosophy of mindfulness. The main message is that we can only truly experience life in the present. Dwelling on the past and worrying about the future prevents feeling true happiness. Meditation and awareness keep us firmly planted in the present.

I think this is pretty relevant to poker. We play a game where the long run never quite arrives. Goal setting is not inherently bad, but often we worry too much about results and getting from point A to B. Remember Mike in Rounders saying he felt alive at a poker game. We should take more small breaks like that and just enjoy being in the game. Appreciate that we are living, playing a game we love, and in the middle of something that is important to us.

Here's an exercise I've adapted from the book. Chrches, temples have bells. Bells are wonderful because they give us a chance to come back to ourselves. It's a time to reflect and realize that we are alive and well. The exercise requires a stop watch/timer. Set the time to run for 1 hour (or whatever time works for you). When it goes of, stop playing. Take a breath. Reflect a bit. Take a break? The timer is great because it's automatic.



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