Mantra Motivation #1: "You Are Where Your Attention Is."

By: Danielle Striker, Chief Guru and CEO of Poker Samadhi

G.I. Gurdjieff (1866–1949) created an original system of self-transformation that reconciled the great mystical traditions, known as the "Fourth Way" – A Spiritual Teacher.

The meaning of this poker mantra is to pay attention!   

Kathy Liebert, WSOP bracelet winner, with career winnings of over $6M dollars says, “You get paid to pay attention at the poker table.” It’s so true. If you are on your iPhone and distracted, or simply not paying attention, how do you expect to win? There are so many things going on at the poker table. Observation is the name of the game. Figuring out the dynamics at the table and how your opponent’s play, and how they play against you is key – it’s how you define your edge.

How do you win at poker by paying attention? By looking for the weakness in your opponent’s play. What hands do they play in and out of position? What are their ranges? What are some of their tells, their bet sizing, bet timing, but also how do they think? And how do they think you think? What kind of mistakes will they make so you can take advantage of them? If you’re not paying attention, you’ll be paying for it. Your customers are the other players at the poker table. Making money from them requires you to pay to attention to their weaknesses and chipping up by playing with them.

I take advantage of players who are distracted by looking at their iPhones. Odds are they are playing level-one poker and simply playing their hand. They are not even considering my level of play or what I am doing. This gives me an edge against them because I can assess their thinking level and how they will play their hands against me.

This same mantra applies in life. Pay attention.

There are so many things going on around you all the time. Think about paying attention at work. There are so many dynamics going on with your boss, co-workers, and even more important your customers!  

How can you understand what your customers really want, unless you are paying attention to them? Are you really “present” when you are with them? Are you really observing them, are you really listening to what they are saying, assessing their needs and how you can serve them? Are you extracting maximum value from your relationships?

What can you learn from paying attention? Everything! You’ll gain valuable insight from paying attention and clearing out the noise. Simply being 100% present will help you tremendously in the game of life and in poker. 

So…pay attention or pay up!  The choice is yours…

Play your best life.

- Danielle Striker, Chief Guru of Poker Samadhi