Know When To Hold Em’

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How do you know when it’s time to fold?  In a game of chance, the stakes are usually lower than in life.  Just some money on the table, or some chips.  But does how you play the game reflect how you live your life?  Poker champ Annie Duke uses her gut instinct in the game and out – so much so that her kids can’t sneak a lie past her.  Annie’s got her finger on a pulse that is older even then poker itself – the human intuition which knows when to hold and when to fold.

A recent podcast from Tim Ferris collected answers from some of his well-known guests, people from all walks of life.  He asked them simply, “How do you know when it’s time to quit?”  But even with advice from experts, or a well calculated pro/con list, what truly matters in your assessment of knowing when to fold is your own inner voice.

And sometimes the answer is to “hold ’em” as they say in poker.  Here’s how you know when it’s time not to give up, according to James Altucher.  If you’re having second thoughts about giving up on something – say, a job, relationship, or project, it’s a good time to just put the pause button on it – you will know if it’s the wrong decision if holding onto something causes a panic or anxiety reaction within you.

But of course the biggest mistake that people make in a game, and in life, is in not sitting down at the table to play at all.

Do you know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em?  Let me know in the comments or on Facebook.