Play The Hand Your Dealt As If It Is The Only Hand That Exists

I was recently reading an article that was talking about surrendering yourself to 'the flow' and relieving oneself of the need to succeed. The suggestion was that by relinquishing the need to control everything, you can learn to feel free within your surrounding environment.

There is great value in this approach; however I am concerned in the ambiguity of the possible interpretation of this piece. The way I choose to explain this way of thinking is to liken life to a game of cards. When we are sat at the table of life we all get dealt our hand by the dealer. The dealer represents many things to us, from a higher power, God, a loved one or just general chance happenings that occur in everyday life. As the cards are flying around the table we simply take a deep breath and 'let go' allowing whatever cards to come our way. Resisting this part of the process is futile because one way or another, whether you know it or not, those cards are coming. Once they are in a small pile in front of you, you take one last deep breath and flip them over to check what you have been dealt. It is at this point where people part into the Wise and the Victims. The Victims immediately blame the cards in their hand for the coming outcome of the round, be it a negative or positive result.

'It's not my fault I had a bad hand' or 'There was nothing I could do in that situation, I was dogged by bad luck' or even 'It's so unfair I always get the bad hand'

Recognise any of these responses? The truth is everybody gets good and bad luck at some point. That is what is called 'so what' as was a quote in the recent film 'The Secret'. It is not our place to question past events or the way the cards were dealt. Every person has a sob story, a bad childhood experience, a feeling of failure, maybe had sad family times or just days that didn't go their way. The point is that all of these experiences have moulded you to cope with the current situation. The cards you have in your hand. At this point the Wise man searches his mind for anything useful that he has locked away in his box of memories and disregards the rest. You see the Wise man understands that now is the time for action, and how he plays his cards is totally within his power, his control and are his choices. (Sorry about the masculine connotations, the story works just as well with a feminine touch). When we are in the now, and are holding the cards, our actions 'is the flow' so we are active players in the game of life. This is not the time to 'see how it goes' or surrender to 'whatever will be will be'. This is your chance, your time to participate in the process and everything that happens from this point begins by the seed that you place at this given moment. The past is merely an illusion and the future is pure speculation. There is only now and at this point I urge you to play your hand like it is the only hand that exists, because now IS the ONLY time that truly exists.

By playing your hand to the best of your ability you reassure every part of you that you did all that you could, and from that moment on there may never be any regrets. No what could have been done, or what if I had done something else. Take the wisdom of the moment to your next challenge and file the rest in the box labeled 'so what'. What happens from this point is not in your control you played the only part anyone ever expected you to. As you complete your hand and submit your claim to the prize, this is where you must sit back and surrender yourself to fete. You couldn't control the cards you were dealt, though it was entirely up to you how you played them. Now you must surrender yourself to the result. It may go your way; it may go to the contrary. Either way you have behaved as an honourable man and provided an example to everyone around you how to play at the table of life like a pro. This is the true art of going with 'the flow'. Rolling over and giving up in the thought that 'whatever will be will be' does you no favours and robs you of your opportunity to let your light shine when the moment arrives. Be the Wise man today, and play your hand like it is the only hand that exists.