If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost;
For out in this world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.If you think you’re outclassed, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.Life’s battles don’t always go
Walter D. Wintle
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can!
I don’t know who needs to read this, but this poem represents the ultimate truth not only in poker, but also in life. I would say it is more “visible” in the game we play because it pushes us to the edge all the time; in life, you can take a break here and there, but as a poker player, you experience miniature lives many times over throughout your poker career.
Take note: read this great poem before or after your next session; print it and put it on the wall, if you will… And never forget that the main difference between all of us is what we think. I won’t spend the next 10 rows explaining exactly what you should and more importantly, what you shouldn’t think; I really hope that you get it, and this is the-wake-up-call-to-action.
Good luck in your thinking!
“Thinking” is a poem written by Walter D. Wintle, a poet who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. Little to nothing is known about any details of his life. “Thinking” is also known as “The Man Who Thinks He Can“.