Dreams – Breakaway Consciousness

Poker, Writing & Life: Chasing Waterfalls, Chasing Dreams | #Poker | #Dreams | #Writing | #Life

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
July 10, 2019

There are many moments in time in where you arrive at a fork in the road, and whether you realize it at the time or not, you have essentially two options: you can remain in the original direction you intended, in the original course of your bearing, or you head off elsewhere, plotting a new course in your ventures. Over ten years ago, I had circumstances that provided the canvas for very possibilities.

In the online poker space, which I played for a living for over ten years and is what was my main ‘career’ of choice until over a month ago, Poker Stars offered a player-program that was based out of the rakeback that the ‘house’ (Poker Stars) wins. [For clarification’s purposes, the way the casino guarantees itself profits from those playing poker, with every hand played that sees a flop, a certain percentage (that is capped at a certain amount) is kept by the house, and that’s how the casino makes money. In other words, it’s a small ‘tax’ (or fee) players pay to be part of the game.]

With that out of the way, Poker Star’s loyalty program was incredibly robust and easily the best in the game, which was one of the vanguard reasons they were the best online poker company by far. Though the name of the player program escapes me at the moment, the program essentially would guarantee players to earn a certain percentage of the money they themselves paid the house. It was Poker’s Stars version of a “tax return” if you want a lose analogy of it. Essentially, the more hands you played, the more money you ‘made’.

The strength of this program was that if you were able to log in an incredible amount of time and effort, you would be able to clear somewhere along the lines of $80-000 – $100,000+ year (with significant benefits as well), which was an opportunity of a lifetime, especially give that’s before your winnings. Yes, before winnings, you could still make that kind of money back then [1].

Anyone that played on Poker Stars had that option. All you had to do was make sure that you were playing in the right amount of games logging enough hands, which was admittedly obscene, but for the driven, very doable, and log an incredible amount of time playing the various form of poker games available. This is where the rubber meets the road.

I brought this idea up to my significant other at the time, and told her that it’s an incredible opportunity, and one that shouldn’t be overlooked given how such an opportunity (even playing only a handful of years) could really set someone (or a couple) financially up for the rest of their life.

Anyways, after endless debates and considerations, I relented to the fact that it was best not to do that, given that we agreed (although in my case, it was tentatively, and I will get to that in a moment) that it was more important at the time for the relationship. In hindsight, even though I think it might be seen, or even objectively be selfish, I believe that what would have been best for the relationship would have been to sacrifice a bit of personal time, in order to set the future up nicely. The future is what it’s all about, right? At least, that’s what I thought about then and still ponder at length now. And though I do realize you ‘only’ live in the moment, to pretend tomorrow will never come is like pretending you need not eat food now because you know you can’t be hungry later because all you have is now.

Even so, at the time, the choice we made seemed tenable, though it still irks me that I didn’t do that, especially since I was working at home, which was the main strength of playing online poker, because any one in that instance could always take breaks by themselves, or with acquaintances, friends, family, significant others, lovers, etc. How many other jobs in the world allow that amount of latitude and freedom?

But that wasn’t the case. Had it been a traditional job, where you spend time away from home, I wouldn’t have regretted the idea at all. But the choices were made and now we are here.

I bring this about because during those times, poker was job, but more importantly my passion, so to not be able to chase it to the fullest extent of the opportunity always left me feeling like I left a piece of myself in the past that I will never be able to get back.

Fast forward to the present, now we get to writing.

Currently, I’ve already made a choice that, regardless of where my path as an individual heads towards in life, I will continue writing since it is my main passion. But where as in Poker I wasn’t able to test the limits of my passions, in writing I will not do that, I couldn’t live myself if I followed that course. I could not sacrifice a passion, a dream of that magnitude again, without looking back at the end of my life without feeling like I didn’t live life to the fullest, even if we’re only talking about it through the lens of writing.

Now, what makes this matter even more interesting from a variety of angles is that, wherein Poker I had to do it for an income (whether I liked it or not), with writing I don’t have to do that.

I can write when I want, how I want, where I want, for whatever purpose I want, to accomplish whatever goal I wish to accomplish and all around the parameters that I set upon myself. This freedom (and passion) is definitely something that I don’t take for granted given that it’s allowed me not only to be able to live life in a more meaningful and much wider range than in the past, but in a way that is even more fulfilling than I ever thought possible.

Concurrent with that, the bonus is that because I’m not doing it as a career, I don’t have to worry about any of my writing ‘paying the bills’ through that passion, which allows me the freedom of expression and choice that I would otherwise had if I had come through writing from a more traditional vantage point.

These considerations are born about because I find it highly intriguing how often I converse with people on myriad subjects where they are passionate about hobbies (or possible dreams) and so on, though usually not in a I-want-to-make-a-living-out-of-this sort of way, but in a passionate way nonetheless, and I see people, give up on something they are passionate about because they just don’t see it as ‘possible’. I can definitely empathize with such instances given how I myself followed this course a few times, though not necessarily for these very reasons.

Be that as it may, this is the type of mindset that holds individuals back, and I think most individuals are familiar with some part of this spectrum, and it’s something that serve no purpose but to anchor an individual upon the sea of regret for the rest of their lives.

Thankfully, life has kicked my rear end enough, and I have made enough mistakes to realize what it is I truly want to follow through with, and at least it didn’t take as long as I thought it would for me to realize this.

Yes, no passion that you wish to take to the fullest extent, or at least, to a far-reaching range is easy to follow through with, nay. But if you truly want something you are passionate about, sometimes you just need to jump into the deep end of life and begin swimming.

Either way, I know that 50 years from now, irrespective of where writing takes me, I won’t have the regret of not having followed through with my passion for writing, as I know I will have when I look back having played online Poker. And for that perspective, I am definitely thankful.

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Notes:

[1] In full disclosure, I believe that the amount of money that could be made had a wider range than the one mentioned, but either way, it was enough to make a comfortable living by average middle-class income standards.

[2] I apologize for the lack of content on the blog; I’ve been busy on a few different things I will discuss in the next few weeks, and also dealing with some health issues at the moment. Nothing serious, but I just don’t want it to get as such, so I just need to take care of myself. That said, I still plan on uploading content of a wide scope here, I just wanted to do a small update on why there hasn’t been much the last few weeks.

[3] This piece was written with the thoughts that even if it doesn’t seem feasible at all, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to truly consider how complex or truly complicated chasing a dream or a passion is. If thought about open-mindedly on paper, sometimes certain things aren’t as complicated, or as simple, as they may be at first blush, but consideration of them at least allows for the true scope of the issue to be grasped, rather than think that you can’t do it because x, y or z reasons.

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If you find value in this information, please share it. This article is free and open source. All individuals have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Zy Marquiez and BreakawayIndividual.com
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About The Author:

Zy Marquiez is an an author, business owner, CEO, avid book reviewer, inquirer, open-minded skeptic, and writer who aims at empowering individuals while also studying and regularly mirroring subjects like Consciousness, Education, Creativity, The Individual, Ancient History & Ancient Civilizations, Forbidden Archaeology, Big Pharma, Alternative Health, Space, Geoengineering, Social Engineering, Propaganda, and much more.

#Quote Of The Day | #Dreams | #Dreamers | #Imagination | #Life | #JamesAllen

“The dreamers are the saviors of the world.”
– James Allen

Time Management: Eternity & A Day Will Never Be Enough | #Time | #Life | #Dreams | #Goals | #Motivation

“The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you’re the pilot.”
– Michael Altshuler

Imagination!
BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
May 16, 2019

The title of this blog post stems from the song, Eternity and A Day. It is a song that takes place in one of the Underworld movies.

At this very moment, I am currently going through my final check up of my poetry book A Kaleidoscope Of Possibilities, and it escaped me that I had written a poem called “Eternity & A Day Will Never Be Enough”.

I mention this because time is something I will always write about, and even think about more so. Rereading this poem made me realize that no matter how much time I was allotted as an individual, there would never be enough time for me to realize all my dreams. This sounds rather dismal, but perhaps it’s not.

You might be thinking, “How could NOT achieving all your dreams not be bad?”

Great question, I am very glad you asked. We are going to employ a binary answer for this.

First, let’s take a slightly different outside-of-the-box point of view. If every single one of us had more time, what would we do? We would cram even more things into our schedules and fill it to the hilt. Say we have 48 hours in the day, what would we do? We would probably have more goals, dream more, dream bigger, or perhaps not dream at all, perhaps still live life to the same degree we would when we have 24 hours a day not pushing ourselves to our maximum potential. The point is that, adding more time might only add more work (be it actual work, chasing dreams, etc.), but perhaps not more freedom to accomplish everything, if that makes sense.

My contention is that more time has never been the problem. The problem stems from not using each minute, each hour, each day, to its maximum potential. Whether we have 24 hours in a day, or 48 hours in a day, a bad habit in time-management will be a bad habit either way. Now to my second point.

The possibility, and I say possibility because it’s not a certainty, that we may not achieve all of our dreams is paramount because it should make us appreciate the moments, goals and dreams that we have to a remarkable degree. For instance, if you knew you had 10 dreams, wouldn’t you spend time chasing those that mean the most?

Having only a certain degree of latitude in life pushes us out of our comfort zones and into consideration of things we might not otherwise feel if we didn’t have any pressure from the clock.

In my personal case, I know that if I had more time, that would just me more goals, more dreams, and so on. That would be fantastic, but it would never end, which is my anchor in all this.

If an individual is employing imagination to its maximum potential, there will never be enough time for them to accomplish all their dreams, and that’s a good thing because that means they are pushing themselves constantly, instead of say having 2 or 3 goals they might wish to accomplish.

This notion hits me hard because my appreciation for time every passing day grows considerably. Leave it to a poem to remind me of it.

These thoughts are to help foster rumination of whatever goals individuals may have, and structuring them in a way that helps them gain more out of life.

Now I get back to one of my dreams, and I hope every single one of you do as well.

You all have a stellar evening.

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Suggested Reading:

Taking That First Step To A New Journey | #Life | #Dreams

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
April 5, 2019

Taking the first step in any journey is the most significant one. It not only begins a new proverbial path, but being that it is a new beginning, it opens up myriad possibilities.

Venturing in a new direction isn’t always easy though. Comfort, habit, and fear tend to prevent individuals from taking advantage of many opportunities.

Most would agree that, the first step in any direction is the most meaningful one. Literally, it means a brand new path that offers much growth potential, it means a new adventure that allows for a latitude of possibilities to take hold – new horizons to be had.

The curious conundrum is that, taking the first step in anything is the hardest one. But it only gets easier after that. Most people realize this, and yet, it seems this is not taken into account. Or perhaps it is. It could be something on a case by case basis.

Either way, beginning a new journey isn’t as complicated as it seem to be at first blush. Be it a new job, a new commitment, a new relationship, a new venture, the first step is where one’s life begins to change – where growth and wisdom are to be had.

One can adjust, or readjust as needed. One can follow through with the plan, or come up with a better one. If the steps are leading in the wrong direction, one can scrap that idea altogether. But what all paths have in common is that they all allow for greater growth either way. Given that, it would seem that keen individuals would have nothing to lose from such ventures.

A glass-half-full approach not only seems sensible, but the only option if one is to move anywhere forward in life. For one to step into the right direction, the very first step must be taken. For one to accomplish goals, the first step is crucial. For one to dare to dream, the first step is a must.

Not taking the first step is tantamount to giving up on specific paths – not even trying. It is living life less than half full. It is living life through a tunnel rather than a boundless landscape. It is living a facsimile of life and not life in its full breathtaking and boundless potential.

If taking that first step can lead to success, what does not taking that first step entail? Is it tantamount to failure?

If taking that first step is opening a new door, then what is not opening that door entail? Remaining in a room, all closed off?

If taking that first step writing a new chapter in a story, what is not writing that first sentence entail?

If taking that first step is living a new – better – life, what does not taking that first step mean?

And if taking that first step means beginning a whole new dream, what does not taking that first step signify?

Ponder, and ponder deeply, for life’s full of untaken steps – untaken roads. And the only way to see where they lead is venture upon it.

Where will your next first step take you?
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Author’s Note:

I’ve had sitting on my desktop for a very long time, though I had it under a completely separate title and thus, never found it until last night.

Whether new business venture, blogging, writing, anything else, I’ve always had fear of taking those first steps myself, but its never as bad as it seems, or at least with the paths that I chose to follow that is. Not that every first step is easy, but a lot of times trying doesn’t hurt things and it might just change your life.

Had I not tried Poker, and starting Businesses, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. I do enjoy blogging because it’s allowed me to grow as a person even more. Blogging has also helped me as a writer and researcher in ways I didn’t think it would. I’m always trying to push myself beyond comfort, or at least considering taking steps.

No matter what steps we take as individuals, big or small, there’s always paths to be explored, and paths that will be left unexplored. That said, that’s one of the beauties in life, the fact that there are more paths than we can try in a whole lifetime show the vast range that life encompasses and I think that’s downright amazing, especially given the time that we live in.

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Suggested Reading:

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If you find value in this information, feel free to share it. This article is free and open source. All individuals have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Zy Marquiez and BreakawayIndividual.com

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About The Author:

Zy Marquiez is an avid book reviewer, inquirer, an open-minded skeptic, yogi, and freelance writer who aims at empowering individuals while also studying and regularly mirroring subjects like Consciousness, Education, Creativity, The Individual, Ancient History & Ancient Civilizations, Forbidden Archaeology, Big Pharma, Alternative Health, Space, Geoengineering, Social Engineering, Propaganda, and much more.

Tag: Dreams

Poker, Writing & Life: Chasing Waterfalls, Chasing Dreams | #Poker | #Dreams | #Writing | #Life

#Quote Of The Day | #Dreams | #Dreamers | #Imagination | #Life | #JamesAllen

Time Management: Eternity & A Day Will Never Be Enough | #Time | #Life | #Dreams | #Goals | #Motivation

Taking That First Step To A New Journey | #Life | #Dreams

#Quote Of The Day | #Growth | #Evolution | #Dreams

#Quote Of The Day | #Dreams | #Passion

#Quote Of The Day | #Dreams | #Start | #Emerson | #Success | #Inspiration | #Motivation