Why do so many musings about life come from the world of gambling?
Consider: Double down, all in, play the hand you’re dealt, chips are down, roll the dice. While I’d venture to say that most people don’t play poker or frequent casinos, everyone understands these aphorisms. To this pantheon of wisdom, I’d like to add my own: The Blackjack Theory of Life.
To win at Blackjack, one first stipulates that the house has the advantage. In order to overcome that edge, the player must take into account the statistical odds of winning each hand, then deploy those techniques rigorously. Step one: Play a consistent game.
Step two: Exploit advantages. When presented with a mathematical advantage, such as when the cards show an opportunity for a double down or split, play aggressively.
In life, the same rules apply. Consistency comes from forming smart habits and repeating them day after day. Consistency is drudgery, it’s boring, it’s pushing that boulder up the hill. But the outcome of that effort is improvement. If you run consistently, you’ll get into shape for the marathon; if you make sales calls daily, you’ll make more sales; if you write consistently, you’ll finish the book.
But also, very important, be open to jump on opportunities when they present themselves, even small ones. These are life’s double down situations.
As Woody Allen famously quipped, 80 percent of success is showing up. Be consistent, show up, but always be on the lookout for pairs of eights and aces that you can split.