When do you give up, if ever on your goals or dreams?

P

poolmaster

Devilish
Silver Member
I love this game, but I also have a goal, and that goal is, to become a pro.
Pool came to me very naturaly, and I played well after a short time(2yrs,).
I'm still improving and this alone gives an energy to continue. But, I ask
myself, what will happen when my bus stops, and I'm not where I wanted
to be?

The way I think right now, I would probably quit. I really won't know till
I get there. If I don't have what it takes to make it big, then practicing
for next 30 years won't change a thing. I hate to burst your bubble, but
if you've been playing for some time and the last few years, you didn't
improve, the chance is, you just don't have it and never will. There are
certain things in your life, that you just simply can't achieve, no matter
how much or how long you keep on doing it. It's sad, I know, but you
also have to be honest with yourself.

Just wonder, what are your opinions on this subject?
 
you don't always have to quit, you just end up quitting the hustle life...not that its the best way to get to the top anyways.

WOuld you rather go to the US open or some big tourney on your last dime sweating everything (no matter if you can even win or not) or would you rather have your life in order and just take the week off and go play as best you can b/c your there to perform not to make your next pay check?

Pool doesn't make your life fall into place unless your struck by lightning, but getting your life straight can straighten out your pool game thats for sure. Hell look at the Miz, he was a school teacher.


Its a sad fact that I make more money doing what I do than everyone but the top 4-5 places on the money list. Am I trying to blow my head up? Hell no, but I sure am glad I got out of serious running around after the IPT ran aground...what I do now will greatly better my chances to be successful in other areas of my life in the future including pool.


Whats Buddy Hall doing these days is my question to you?


Think about it, the world does not wait on pool players
Grey Ghost
 
Thorsten Holman almost quit before he hit it big. Just be honest with yourself. Know what you are capable of, not what you think you are. Are you really putting in the time and effort it takes to get to that level? If so, it should be dominating every aspect of your life. You can't do it alone. You need a support group of family, friends and a coach. Edison failed thousands of times before he finally created the light bulb. With every failure comes the opportunity for success.
 
Big C said:
Thorsten Holman almost quit before he hit it big. Just be honest with yourself. Know what you are capable of, not what you think you are. Are you really putting in the time and effort it takes to get to that level? If so, it should be dominating every aspect of your life. You can't do it alone. You need a support group of family, friends and a coach. Edison failed thousands of times before he finally created the light bulb. With every failure comes the opportunity for success.
Click to expand...
Not knowing the outcome of something, is what keeps you to try and try again. Like
you said about Edison, he didn't know if he was going to succeed or not. That alone
inspired him to keep on going. In pool, or any other sport, it's different. If you practice
for twenty years, and you're not playing good enough, you most likely never will.
 
poolmaster said:
I love this game, but I also have a goal, and that goal is, to become a pro.
Pool came to me very naturaly, and I played well after a short time(2yrs,).
I'm still improving and this alone gives an energy to continue. But, I ask
myself, what will happen when my bus stops, and I'm not where I wanted
to be?

The way I think right now, I would probably quit. I really won't know till
I get there. If I don't have what it takes to make it big, then practicing
for next 30 years won't change a thing. I hate to burst your bubble, but
if you've been playing for some time and the last few years, you didn't
improve, the chance is, you just don't have it and never will. There are
certain things in your life, that you just simply can't achieve, no matter
how much or how long you keep on doing it. It's sad, I know, but you
also have to be honest with yourself.

Just wonder, what are your opinions on this subject?
Click to expand...


I guess that would be determined by your personal goals and dreams. That is one of the cool things about goals they can be changed and should be in some cases. Because I never know what life has in store for me I will alter my goals over and over. Right now I will be happy if I can just grow old with the game. Play it until I slump over the slate and call it a match.
 
Well, we just had a long thread about what it takes to become a Champion. Maybe that will help you decide (once you get past all the insults being hurled back and forth).

A lot of folks here wanted to become a pro, and many found out that it wasn't in the cards. It takes a special breed to get to a high level in this game. Many feel that chasing their dream could risk valuable time that could be used to pursue other profitable endeavors. On the flip side, what if you hung up the game and later on had these nagging thoughts about what could have been?

So yes, it's a tough decision for a talented pool player who still has a ways to go to get to the top level. I say, chase your dream but have a backup plan in case things don't pan out.
 
8ballEinstein said:
Well, we just had a long thread about what it takes to become a Champion. Maybe that will help you decide (once you get past all the insults being hurled back and forth).

A lot of folks here wanted to become a pro, and many found out that it wasn't in the cards. It takes a special breed to get to a high level in this game. Many feel that chasing their dream could risk valuable time that could be used to pursue other profitable endeavors. On the flip side, what if you hung up the game and later on had these nagging thoughts about what could have been?

So yes, it's a tough decision for a talented pool player who still has a ways to go to get to the top level. I say, chase your dream but have a backup plan in case things don't pan out.
Click to expand...
I don't really want to make living from pool, there isn't enough money in this game.
Even, if there was, I still most likely wouln't go for it. I like my life to be stable. Don't
get me wrong, if you could win good money from just one tourney, then that would be
cool. Anyway, money is not that important. All I want to do, is prove myself. It's a
great feeling to be really good at something, anything, in my case, that's pool.
 
depends on what you are trying to do

I set a goal when I was eighteen. After taking a very hard look at pool the goal didn't have anything to do with pool but it was one that even if you had all the skill in the world you still had to be lucky and catch a few breaks. I watched talented people spend their lives without getting lucky so I put a drop dead date of when I turned twenty-five. If I hadn't reached my goal I was moving on. Didn't get where I wanted to be so I moved on.

I said much the same in other threads but here is some food for thought. I was lousy at pool, took me six months to be winning most of the time in bars. Two years to be a pretty decent player. After seven or eight years and more hours than I put into full time jobs during the same time period I had reached the point that I played six or eight hours some nights controlling every shot on the table. Some people peak in two years, some in ten. Only you know when it is truly futile to chase your dreams. While you are chasing them don't do it half ass and don't put any fetters on your dreams. Nobody knows how far they can go until they try 100% and give something their all for as long as it takes to succeed or fail.

Hu



poolmaster said:
I love this game, but I also have a goal, and that goal is, to become a pro.
Pool came to me very naturaly, and I played well after a short time(2yrs,).
I'm still improving and this alone gives an energy to continue. But, I ask
myself, what will happen when my bus stops, and I'm not where I wanted
to be?

The way I think right now, I would probably quit. I really won't know till
I get there. If I don't have what it takes to make it big, then practicing
for next 30 years won't change a thing. I hate to burst your bubble, but
if you've been playing for some time and the last few years, you didn't
improve, the chance is, you just don't have it and never will. There are
certain things in your life, that you just simply can't achieve, no matter
how much or how long you keep on doing it. It's sad, I know, but you
also have to be honest with yourself.

Just wonder, what are your opinions on this subject?
Click to expand...
 
Having a dream of being one of the best at something is great.
The best part of dreaming of becoming a Pro Pool Player is the jouney.
The experiences and accomplishments along the way are as much of the dream as anything. Understanding the commitment of praticing 8 hours a day and playing tournements the rest of the time is a must.
There is exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, forget about having a job, or any other goals.
And what do you get when your dream comes true.
Not making much money, on the road trying to make a few bucks. Trying to get a sponser to pay your entries in tournies and pay for your room.
Tough dream if it comes true.
There are Pro's, which is a very large amount, and there are the top players in the world, those are the one's that can enjoy the fruits of their labor..
Best,
Ken Kerner
 
poolmaster said:
I love this game, but I also have a goal, and that goal is, to become a pro.
Pool came to me very naturaly, and I played well after a short time(2yrs,).
I'm still improving and this alone gives an energy to continue. But, I ask
myself, what will happen when my bus stops, and I'm not where I wanted
to be?

The way I think right now, I would probably quit. I really won't know till
I get there. If I don't have what it takes to make it big, then practicing
for next 30 years won't change a thing. I hate to burst your bubble, but
if you've been playing for some time and the last few years, you didn't
improve, the chance is, you just don't have it and never will. There are
certain things in your life, that you just simply can't achieve, no matter
how much or how long you keep on doing it. It's sad, I know, but you
also have to be honest with yourself.

Just wonder, what are your opinions on this subject?
Click to expand...

I totally disagree with you.

It doesn't matter what it is, if you have a goal, I don't care if you had one arm and no legs, you could still be a pro. You must calculate exactly what it takes to get there, and take the proper steps to do it and do whatever it takes to get there.

The problem with most people is that they like the idea of achieving a goal, but aren't willing to do whatever it takes. There are things that happen along the way that discourage and that negativity causes you to see nothing but obstacles. When all you do is focus on your goal, those obstacles go away, but when you take your eyes off your goal, all you see is the obstacles that stand in the way.

When I started playing pool at 16, I wanted to be a pro. I wanted to be a pro for quite a long time. I stayed at a mediocre level all the way until just recently until I found what I was looking for. When I finally discovered that I could become a pro, I didn't want it anymore. I am focused two things which are cue making, which is my hobby, and my job which I am convinced is my calling in life.

What you must understand is that you need the right fundamentals and enough time for those fundamentals to become a part of your heartbeat. You must feel every square inch of your cue as if it had nerves in it and you must practice until you know in your heart that you can beat anyone in the world. It can be done, you just need to search, and search and search with the attitude and belief that you WILL get there. That is the only way. If you convince yourself otherwise, it will be so. It is really all about your internal dialogue.

You must have the faith to believe in your dreams and have the guts to follow through with them if you truly feel that is the best path for your life.

Read the book titled, 'The Power of Focus'. It is sounds like exactly what you need. Tony Robbins books would be another superb recommendation.

NEVER GIVE UP.
 
a good sound mind

greyghost said:
you don't always have to quit, you just end up quitting the hustle life...not that its the best way to get to the top anyways.

WOuld you rather go to the US open or some big tourney on your last dime sweating everything (no matter if you can even win or not) or would you rather have your life in order and just take the week off and go play as best you can b/c your there to perform not to make your next pay check?

Pool doesn't make your life fall into place unless your struck by lightning, but getting your life straight can straighten out your pool game thats for sure. Hell look at the Miz, he was a school teacher.


Its a sad fact that I make more money doing what I do than everyone but the top 4-5 places on the money list. Am I trying to blow my head up? Hell no, but I sure am glad I got out of serious running around after the IPT ran aground...what I do now will greatly better my chances to be successful in other areas of my life in the future including pool.


Whats Buddy Hall doing these days is my question to you?


Think about it, the world does not wait on pool players
Grey Ghost
Click to expand...

I like what the Grey Ghost post !!
 
poolmaster said:
I don't really want to make living from pool, there isn't enough money in this game.
Even, if there was, I still most likely wouln't go for it. I like my life to be stable. Don't
get me wrong, if you could win good money from just one tourney, then that would be
cool. Anyway, money is not that important. All I want to do, is prove myself. It's a
great feeling to be really good at something, anything, in my case, that's pool.
Click to expand...

Look, if you have the mind to play pool well, but your skills are not at you're minds level, either one of two things are wrong. One, being your mind is way off, or your level of practice does not match your level of mind. It's just like when I work with other pool table mechanics, I always hear the same thing, I've been working for ???years and I know what I'm doing!....hmmmm, OK, then how do you do this, or that?...then it turns into...wow, show me that again....how did you do that, man I've been doing that all wrong for the last 20 years!...No, you haven't been doing it wrong, you got as far as you could doing what you were doing, but this is the right way to do this or that, now imagine if you'd have learned it that way say...18 years ago...how far along would you be now?

My point is....if your mind is ahead of your game, then take a look at what's holding back your game from catching up with your mind!

Glen
 
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