Many people are delusional. I am not. I have had people tell me I’m cocky or arrogant and I assure you that winning or being the best isn’t my prerogative. I almost prefer losing because I can learn how to improve. I have a very astute self evaluation. I know things that I do well at and I know things that aren’t for me. Unfortunately this leaves me in the second tier of just about everything. For arguments sake there are many levels of tiers in just about everything and usually only the first pays off. Being in the second tier has proved frustrating and it’s like constantly waiting for something, somewhere, somehow to tell you that you have the ability to take it to the next level. Here are a few examples from my life and what they have led to.

  • Academically I wasn’t the most intelligent but still went to Pitt and graduated with a 3.5 average in Finance. Good but not the best. I’m pretty decent with numbers and Jkash will say my English needs some work but using my brain for anything other than a business idea isn’t going to happen. I’m not going to work for NASA or find the next cure for cancer. Academia is out.
  • I’ve probably spent thousands of hours of playing poker and could never get a big score I went deep in multiple big tourney’s where the scores were 5 and 6 figures but never could hit the big one. I know I’m a good player but I just can’t devote the time it takes to sit in front of the computer for 40-80 hours a week and take it to the next level. Poker is such a stupid game but you can play for life changing money. One big score can alter your entire life.
  • Golf is a reach but it really is a game of hours. If I practiced 8 hours a day for 1 straight week I promise I could take 10 strokes off my game quickly. The potential is there considering I can hit the ball 300 yards off the tee but I don’t have the time (or ability) to ever become a professional and make money playing the game.
  • I included basketball because back when I was 12 (or around there) I would win 1v1 tournaments at Germantown Academy basketball camps. Bud can attest to this as I beat him in the finals one of the years. I was actually a skilled player back then but completely undersized when I was good. It just sucks that this was my best game growing up because you have a better chance of succeeding if you grow up playing it. However, back in the 80’s the game wasn’t the same way as it is now so maybe my dad had some hope.
  • I’m also good at running distance and will go out on a limb and say I can drink more alcohol and perform better than 99% of the population. People who run the times I can run aren’t getting smashed on the weekends. This leads to nothing other than staying in shape.

    • The point of this post isn’t bragging. It’s explaining the point of being close but never being there. In any of the above mentioned categories, they will never be anything but recreation to me. Where do you go when your stuck in the mediocrity? Work a 9-5 and be content? If I can find anything at all to financially secure me for the rest of my life, I would spend all my time doing it. If you don’t, or you are spending all your time doing something and aren’t getting anywhere, what’s your plan? I am tired of grinding. How about the rest of you?