I am a firm believer that humans are creatures of habit. Success and happiness are achieved by forming good habits and carrying them out on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. As Arositle put it, ì”We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”.

Having just moved to Las Vegas I feel I have a unique chance to change my life by implementing a totally new set of habits and to a lesser extent a new social circle. I believe the next few weeks will be crucial in determining my success and happiness over the next year of my life. By realizing that my habits will be more instrumental than anything else in determining the quality of my life I feel if I set good ones I will be in control of my own destiny.

Before I describe and ask for input on what habits I should Implement I feel I should first describe some of my goals (that these habits will help me achieve).

Goals:
Have deep and satisfying relationships.
Become one of the best all around poker players in the world.
Make a shitload of money.
Contribute something to society
Be a person of ingenuity.

Some other goals Iím debating:
Sleep with lots of hot sluttly women.
Become a poker celebrity.

If you asked me two year ago both of the above goals would have been towards the top of my list but my life experience has me doubting whether either of these things will add to my overall happiness. I havenít been unsuccessful with women over the past two years of my life but I havenít exactly been a mpua either. Iíve had several one night stands with girls while traveling and have slept with a few college girls. But my desire to be a ëplaya/pua whateverí coupled with the fact Iím an asshole (especially when drunk), has managed to destroy every close relationship Iíve had with females over the past two years and although fun Iím not sure it has made me a happier person.

But the girls Iíve slept with are not of the same caliber as Las Vegas girls. These girls are fucking hot! And I feel if I donít sleep with as many of them as possible I will regret it for the rest of the of my life. Coupled with the fact that Iím a fit, charismatic, average looking 21 year old male with a balla condo, balla car, designer cloths and tactful ice Iím pretty sure I could pull a few of these girls (my excessive confidence couldnít hurt either). I mean this is Vegas weíll talk about; people will do anything for money.

But I do not know if I am mature enough to handle everything that would go along with this lifestyle. I could feel myself easily falling into the trap of going clubbing five nights a week, drugs and alcohol, dropping more money than I can afford and not to mention all the messy emotional entanglements that come with leading this type of lifestyle. Itís nice to think that I could handle it all but I believe that would be wishful thinking (especially with my past history).

Anyways on to some habits I wish to implement:

-Do 30 minutes of cardio as soon as I wake up.
-Make a list of what I want to accomplish on said day
-Lift weights 5 times a week
-Play poker 50 hours a week
-Do some writing once a week
-Constantly review my poker play
-Avoid drugs and alcohol. (Beside an occasional drink/joint).

Here is what I picture my normal day being

9am: Wake up
9:15-10:00am: Go to gym downstairs and do some Cardio
10:00am-10:45am: Shower, Eat, Sanua steam room etc.
10:45-:5:00pm: Play online/live, read, run errands
5:00pm-7:00pm: Dinner with friends
7:00pm-10:00pm: Play more poker
10:00pm-11:00pm: Weight room
11:00pm-12:30am: Review hands, read, write
12:30am-9:15am: sleep

If I could follow this schedule 5 days a week I should be achieve my carrer goals while still having a fulfilling and pleasurable life (poker is still fun for me).

I realize since I lead the unstructured life of a professional gambler I could easily fall into some bad habits. In order to help me stick with my plans I plan on doing the following:

-See a personal trainer once a week. Have him design a good traning regiment for me diet etc.
-See a sports psychiatrist twice a month to help me continue playing my A game.
-Hire a experienced live pro/seek out experienced live pro to help me avoid the pitfalls that often befall poker players.

Anyways, leading the unstructed life of a professional gambler I could see myself easily falling into bad habits.

-Andrew Robl