Goals For 2011

2010 seems to have gone so fast so maybe that means it has been a good year i’m not sure. Consciously thinking about it thought, it seems to have been uneventful. The main highlight being my 4 week trek in America.

I had been on a break from poker for most of the start of 2010 and then I decided to a binions classic in Vegas which I managed to bink for shy of $5k. So that shows how beneficial a break from poker can be because you are playing with a fresh mind and determined to prove that you have ‘still got it’. However, despite a pretty decent win, instead of giving confidence to play more I decided that I officially retire from poker. I decided that I would play 1 more decent tourney, the G Club championships in Newcastle on 10th July just to give me the reassurance that it would be the right decision.

That just happened to be the right decision for me as the enjoyment from playing had completely disappeared. It’s now been 6 months since I stopped playing and overall I feel much better for it. The main issue was the time it consumed by simply sitting in a tournament for 5+ hours or just spending so much time learning the game. Now I just feel more relaxed and this is something family have commented on.

I’ve just come back from 2 weeks in Punta Cana, Domincan Republic for our family Christmas holiday which is always a good way to rest my mind and recharge the batteries for the new year, plus obviously just get away from the shit weather and get some daylight. Well this year the weather was shit; cloudy and windy everyday. Managed to slip into my normal holiday mode of sleeping in rediculously late, doing fuck all and and not eating enough (i’m totally weird and don’t overindulge on holiday and over Christmas) so that has resulted in a bit of weight loss. I took a laptop this year and there was free wifi so spent too much time on it meaning I hardly read anything which I wanted to do. Nevermind though as I did get a deep tissue massage and the act of being on holiday doing nothing, not worrying about work or anything made me relax which is what it’s all about.

Being on holiday is also a good time to do some thinking while the mind at ease and I decided on some goals for the future. Some specific and some more general ones for the longterm.

I started strength training in June 09 and have made some great progress from when I first started but still not near where I really want to be. So i’ve set a deadline to each these of June 11 as this will be 2 years from starting. Then hopefully I can make an inspirational post about my transformation.

• Gain 20lbs
• Squat 110KG 3×5
• Be able to do 10 pull ups and chin ups

Since quitting poker I have zero goals for this and most of my concentration has been on my main website, Newcastle Poker Forum. However, I think i’ve let my work towards it lapse a little and wasted a lot of time doing non productive stuff. In the last 6 months I also significantly my forum consumption, especially during work hours where I very rarely even check it which is definitely a good thing.

• Stop watching soaps and generally reduce tv consumption
• Spend an hour a day writing new content and developing Newcastle Poker Forum.
• Become an early riser – This will be one of the most mentally challenging to achieve because of the late rise as possible habits i’ve had since primary school. I’ve tried doing this before but have given up numerous times.
• Read at least 1 book a month
• Learn to swim

I’ve always been a shy kid who does not say much in conversation and lacking in social confidence. This is an image i’d like to shake off as I see it as a negative trait that stops me being successful and where I want to be. I believe I have so much to offer but no one gets to see it as the lack of experience with this has led me to a life without the confidence to ever make progress. I think i’ve made some very small progress from how I was at the end of high school but i’m ready and determined to make some much bigger changes and to do this I just really need the actual experience which i’ve always been afraid of.

• Get a new hobby – Since stopping playing poker i’ve really lacked a hobby and the best thing about playing was that it got me out of the house. But in the past 6 months i’ve really done fuck all so i’ve been needing a new hobby. Whilst browsing the net on holiday I stumbled across the idea of rock climbing as a possible hobby. This is something i would never have considered before but upon researching and thinking about it, I think it would be ideal for me. It really suits my body type that would match my strength goals but also it’s a really social activity and requires a lot of determination. Plus stuff like getting over fears, (not a fan of heights) would be massive for me and I could kill a lot of birds with 1 stone.
• Do some volunteering – I’ve been interested in some volunteering for a while but never really found anything that interests me. Something that involves socially interacting with others would be ideal but something i’ve always been afraid of in particular talking to groups. I love helping people so that would be ideal for me.
• Be more open and express my feelings more – My personality type means I prefer to be in my own company and keep things to myself. I should be sharing more of my goals like i’m doing with this post to keep me motivated.

I believe everything i’ve listed is totally achievable by the end of the year and if I do then 2011 will probably be my best year ever.