Success vs. Joy
- XXIV -
Life is Unfair
Billiards has taught me many lessons. One is that Lady Luck cannot always be with you. It is a stone cold certainty that your luck will run out one day, perhaps when you least expect it.
Good times and bad are a part of life. Our existence would otherwise be pretty boring. It is said that a certain amount of adversity is good for everyone. On many occasions, I have missed an easy shot because the ball rolled over some invisible speck of dust on the table. Was this a case of bad luck? Should I have cursed my fate? On the contrary, one should always keep in mind the numerous occasions when the same invisible particle of dust might have caused the ball to move in a favorable direction!
As one achieves higher standards in one’s actions, the element of luck tends to diminish. If I analyze the millions of shots I have played over the last 30 years (about 7 to 10 million), I would have to acknowledge the fact that my luck has evened out. For every occasion that luck deserted me, there would be an occasion when it came to my aid. What I’m saying is not exaggerated.
Usually I play over 200 shots in an hour. That works out to at least 1,000 a day. If I count all the flukes and compare them with bad nudges and wrong contacts, the ratio may be 45:55 or, on extreme days, 40:60.
One has to remain stoic in the face of both good luck and bad. To allow a sliver of bad luck to distract you is to stand in the face of the principle and definition of concentration. One has to remain firmly grounded in the present. So, learn to accept the bad times with the good. Take this philosophy further and come to accept the fact that things are – and can often be – very unfair. But that in no way should deter you from your focus.