Playing With A Full Deck - The Affirmation Spot for Monday December 1, 2008

Today's Affirmation:"My imagination overflows with great writing ideas."(click the affirmation to hear it in mp3)It occurred to me the other day that life is a little bit like a card game. We are all dealt a hand at the beginning of the game. Some are dealt powerful hands while others are dealt difficult hands. Either situation is fraught with pitfalls and full of potential.The person dealt the strong hand may experience life as soft and easy, but never truly be challenged to live up to his or her full potential. The daily news headlines are filled with stories of people who "have it all" and yet behave in ways that are "self-destructive".Meanwhile, people who were dealt terrible hands at the beginning of the game achieve great things all the time.Remember the following 10 rules to the card game of life.

1. Everyone, regardless of the hand they are dealt, is playing with a full deck. I guarantee it.
2. Every possible hand is in that deck for every person.
3. There are many possible winning hands in the deck.
4. The hand you are dealt at the beginning of the game, wonderful or awful, is just fate.
5. If you spend your life worrying about the hand others were dealt and thinking it is unfair; you'll never get anywhere.
6. If you spend your life thinking you earned the good opening hand instead of working to make the most of it; you'll never get anywhere either.
7. If you start with a good hand, but play your cards foolishly you can fail.
8. If you start with a poor hand, but play your cards wisely you can succeed.
9. Every day is a new opportunity to reshuffle the deck.
10. The game is never over until the last card is played.