2022 results post

•Played live 🤏
•Enjoyed live 🌈
•Binked an MTT 💥

@PokerDetox is poised for a big year.

Looking forward to spending a lot of time with our players, training both mind and body.

See you in Vegas 🌞

How to choose the RIGHT poker training path to get you to high stakes in 2023:

It's officially 2023 and if you're like most poker players, you're overwhelmed by all the strategy content out there.

But don't worry.

In less than 3 minutes, you'll have the confidence to choose the right training path for you..

For transparency, I own @PokerDetox, one of the largest staking projects in poker and the industry leader in data-driven strategies.

My goal here is to deliver an even report of the different training paths available.

For most players, it will not be the path that PD offers.

“I want to get to high stakes.”

That’s what most players say when they reach out for coaching.

But below the surface, they have a LOT of opinions about how that process should look.

Here’s what I often hear when I ask them to get more specific about the type of training they’re looking for:

“I want to get to high stakes, but I don’t want a coach making uncomfortable changes to my strategy.”

Unfortunately for most poker players, there’s too many things wrong with their game (and their instincts) for that to be a viable path.

The reality is there are many strategy adjustments that MUST be made in order to beat high stakes.

Most of them are uncomfortable.

With that said, the realization awaiting this type of player is that they do not actually want to be trained.

What they actually want is permission to wander through the game tree without being held strategically accountable.

In fact, they will resist any coach who holds them accountable until they find one who either:

1.  Believes the same things they do

Or..

2.  Lets them do whatever they want

@PokerDetox, we don’t train this type of player.

That's because the "right" path is mostly a question of program compatibility.

A lot of poker players prefer to rely on instincts and subjective reasoning.

They simply don't want their thought process held accountable to any sort of objective review.

Some of them play great.

But training requires change, and change is not possible if the student insists on using subjective arguments to refute their coach's advice.

Here's what those arguments might sound like..

“My games play different / they never fold here / they never bluff there.."

And my personal favorite:

"I played 10,000 hands and this new strategy isn't working."

If you're someone who uses these arguments, you might be untrainable.

You also might be the next Stu Ungar.

I'll come back to that.

For now let’s flip the example around and look at a different type of player – one who is concerned about their coach using either inconsistent or subjective hand analysis.

“I want to get to high stakes, but I feel like my coach gives me a different answer every time. I know he’s a big winner, but his thought process isn’t clear and I struggle to reproduce it.”

Where the untrainable player had a strong preference for following their instincts, this player craves a reproducible thought process.

I relate to this second type of player, because I almost quit poker in 2015 due to a shortage of reproducible frameworks.

At that point, I had exhausted all of the training resources I was aware of and could only see two paths forward:

1.  Build a more reliable method for analyzing hands
2.  Get a real job

I had become desperate enough that I no longer cared about "style", all I cared about was being able to depend on poker as a career.

And if I was going to use a line of reasoning to support a decision in a hand, then it needed to be objective.

It needed to be objective because I was aware that using half-baked assumptions would make it impossible for me to reproduce correct decisions.

You see, I couldn't rely on instincts any longer, and I knew that.

How?

Because someone with great instincts would have been making much more money than I was.

Here’s a worthy moment to pause:

Maybe you really are the next big thing in poker, and no one will ever be able to match your instincts.

Or maybe your ego is still in the process of exhausting itself by spinning a desperate fantasy, where you play the role of the naturally talented hero who's just waiting for their luck to turn.

Whatever the case may be, if you're a struggling poker player who is still invested in the belief that your instincts are reliable, then one thing is certain:

The data-driven path is not for you.

That's because training with a data-driven method requires you to accept that your ego has been hijacking your instincts for a very long time.

If you manage to do that, you will find that you suddenly prefer a proven, reproducible strategy.

Why?

Because training for reproducibility maximizes your chance of getting to high stakes without needing reliable instincts.

Now you can decide:

Do you want to bet on the likelihood that your instincts are reliable, or not?

Remember, there’s no right answer.

Many of the greatest players went all-in on their instincts.

Just keep in mind that for every Stu Ungar, there were 1,000 other deluded heroes who thought they had great instincts, but didn’t.

And they are no longer playing poker.

With that said, if you prefer to bet on your instincts, you should look for a program that gives you a LOT of room to follow them (or consider a lone wolf approach).

If instead you prefer to bet on a coach who has great results, but whose thought process you can't understand, just know that you're taking a gamble.

You can improve your chances on this path by making sure you get a lot of 1-on-1 access to the coach.

The more access you have to them, the more likely it is that their instincts will rub off on you.

Important side note:

There are two types of instincts worth distinguishing when looking for a poker coach who does NOT subscribe to a data-driven method.

The first is "exploitative instinct" , which refers to the coach's ability to detect and calibrate to pool imbalances (without explicitly referencing population analysis).

The second is what I call "sim instinct", which refers to the coach's ability to accurately recall and extrapolate on balanced solver plays that they have studied in the past.

With that distinction in mind, here is what you need to remember:

If you choose a coach who can't express their thought process clearly, then your goal should be to reproduce their instincts (not their thought process).

Why?

Because solvers don't have thoughts, and population analysis is the only objective form of exploitative hand analysis.

Now it’s time to pay tribute to the coaches who rely mostly on instincts, and truly are great.

I promised you an even report.

The only thing in question here is the reproducibility of their decision making process, which is of paramount importance to certain types of students.

Some of these coaches have actually begun to use population analysis to supplement their instincts.

The more they calibrate their instincts to data, the more they belong to the final training path – the data-driven path.

The data-driven path uses population analysis (MDA) to exploit pool behaviors.

It relies on stable decision making frameworks and performs best in semi-anonymous pools. In tougher known pools, it incorporates "sim instinct" and simplified GTO protocols.

Here's an example of what analyzing a typical river spot sounds like when a player is using a data-driven method:

"I’m facing a bet on the river with a mixed strategy hand, it’s either a call or a fold. But 200M hands of population analysis tells me that this player profile bluffs the river 3% too often in this scenario, so I have a clear +EV call."

Three things make the data-driven method the most reproducible path to high stakes:

1.  It doesn’t require the student to have good instincts.

2.  The instructions are explicit, which solves the problem of an unclear coach.

3.  It's all based on proven data.

Thanks for reading.

If you would like answers to more of your poker questions, come ask me at a free live webinar on January 6th, 1PM EST.

Everyone who signs up will get a recording of the call.

Get in free 👇
https://pokerdetox54449.activehosted.com/f/7

If you feel like the data-driven method might be for you, then enroll in my next 30 Day Training Camp before doors close, and make an informed decision once you're on the inside.

Only 100 seats are available and it's completely refundable.:
https://pokerdetox.com/course/30-day-training-camp/

How to choose the RIGHT poker training path to get you to high stakes

The only 3 types of problems you can have as a pro poker player, and how to spot them FAST:

If you're not beating high stakes, you have a problem.

Training over 1000 poker players has led us @PokerDetox to the simplest framework for solving it.

It's easy to visualize and will allow you to quickly identify your most important limiting factor (i.e., constraint).

Look at the "ladder of constraints" below.

The three different factors of your poker career are labeled on it.

If any of these three factors are lacking, no matter how developed the other two are, your earning power will be limited.

One or more of these factors is killing you.

Hint: It's usually not the one you think.

Let's look at some real poker examples of each type of constraint and explore the new framework in action.

Strategic Constraint:

You have misconceptions about poker that prevent you from making winning plays.

Could be as basic as not understanding pot odds, or not fully grasping the concept of EV.

Misapplying game theory falls into this category as well.

Logistical Constraint:

You lack structure and accountability, and it's negatively impacting your ability to study and execute.

Poor sleep, bad nutrition, little to no exercise.

Struggling with basic logistics makes it nearly impossible to stay on track.

Belief Constraint:

You believe things about yourself that aren't absolutely true, and those beliefs are preventing you from validating behaviors linked to high performance.

In other words, you're conflicted.

That's it.

You now have vision over the ONLY three types of problems you can ever encounter as a poker pro, and a new framework for identifying them.

But one more thing.

If you're still stuck at low stakes, your biggest problem is almost ALWAYS..

drum roll..

Logistical.

Because you graduate from low stakes once you show up consistently and nail the basics.

Groundbreaking.

If you want more help working through your poker problems, come talk to me at my free mindset webinar on December 15.

Describe the problem you're up against, and I'll help you identify the constraint.

Then together we'll build a plan to overcome it.

ONLY members of my newsletter will get access to this webinar, along with free upgrades that I don't share anywhere else.

Get access to the free webinar here:
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/nickhowardpoker

The ONLY 3 types of problems you can have as a poker pro, and how to spot them FAST

Here's something that very few people in the poker industry believe:

✨There is an undiscovered greatness in every small stakes poker player that goes unrecognized✨

It took me 10 years to accept how it works:

You can call it a dream that's yet to be realized.

The point is it lives inside of you.

Problem is that you've never felt safe enough to unleash it.

Maybe it's time for you to hear that your biggest limitation is that you've never been supported by someone who truly believes in you.

Someone who you respect, and who trusts in your potential enough to take a chance on you.

From where I'm standing, none of your previous failures are actually your fault.

At least not in the way that you think they are.

What I see is someone who's usually lost because they were never pointed in the right direction.

Or maybe you were, but you didn't have the supporting frameworks you needed to put things into action.

Getting closer?

What if this whole time, you just needed coaches who understood how to motivate you? 🤯

What if the problem was never YOU?

Every month I put out a thread that asks you to DM me directly.

This is one of those threads.

Tell me what's happening, so that I can get you the support you need.

I'm a bridge if you use me.

✉️

For your dream✨

The Greatness In You

Poker can take everything from you.

But it probably won't.

What it will certainly do is hand you life lessons faster than almost any other career.

Here are the 5 most important life lessons I've learned from 15 years in the industry.

1. The importance of being intentional.

Life can be a dark maze of confusion.

Being intentional with your approach is one of the most powerful tools you have.

Plan, map, execute.

2. The importance of asking for help.

Because flying solo is an ego trip.

I can trace every major win back to a moment where I handed control over to someone who had a strength in an area where I was weak.

When you cross paths with these angels, be ready to ask for help.

3. The importance of finding purpose.

As a lone-wolf pro who almost tanked from a lack of support, I felt a strong calling to build a bridge for players trapped behind me.

That bridge expanded into one of the largest poker training companies in the world.

Find a purpose.

4. The importance of being well organized.

Organization is one of the biggest indicators of success in a professional poker player.

From building a schedule, to identifying goals, to breaking down action steps.

Any great achievement depends on it.

So get your shit together.

5. The importance of thinking long-term.

People who think long-term consistently make better decisions.

They're able to delay gratification and keep things in perspective.

If you want your actions to align with your dreams, learn to think in DECADES.

TLDR;

The 5 most important life lessons I learned from a 15 year career in the poker industry:

1. Getting intentional
2. Asking for help
3. Finding purpose
4. Staying organized
5. Thinking long

I wrote a 36 page E-Book on what it takes for a small stakes poker player to FINALLY move up stakes.

It’s free.

Enjoy.
https://pokerdetox.com/free-guide-lp/

Poker can take everything from you..

In 2012, I ate dog food.

Today I own one of the largest poker staking companies in the world.

Here's a 3 minute breakdown of a 10 year struggle-to-success story.

2012:

Not broke, but close.

Grinding micros with 90% of my funds online.

It got real bad one week and I ate dog food, literally.

Low point.

Fought back to MSNL, learned game theory.

Worked under Matthew Janda as a contributing writer to his book, "Applications of No Limit Hold 'em".

2014: Matt recommends me to @RunItOnce as a coach.

Gained a small following.

2015:

Hit a wall with game theory, stressing every session, too many moving parts.

Got anxious, went bald, lost faith.

Another low.

Started a poker blog where I opened up about my struggles.

A big part of me wanted to know if anyone else could relate.

Blog went viral.

2016:

Got experimental.

Used Ignition's "exposed" function (reveals hole cards after the game).

Saw lots of bluffs from opponents in spots that I never suspected.

Went rogue, started hard-countering the pool.

+$100K in 3 months.

On to something 🤔

2017:

Idea💡

Started thinking about a new poker methodology that I was calling "mass-data population analysis".

Sought feedback on a major forum, got flamed.

Keep moving forward.

Hired a guy who could analyze large hand samples in Holdem Manager.

First prototypes were raw but promising, revealing more statistical behavior of the pools.

Went all-in.

Founded @PokerDetox, began publicly promoting data-driven strategies.

Released a few strategy packs, digital media products only.

They did well until pirates rushed in.

Back to the drawing board.

Got an e-mail out of the blue one day from a struggling poker player.

He was on contract with a Coaching-For-Profits program and wasn't getting proper support.

Trapped in debt without much hope.

It pissed me off and I promised him I would find a way to help.

Followed through on my promise and pivoted our company.

@PokerDetox Coaching For Profits:

A way to give small stakes players training and staking for zero money down.

Felt good to offer a service that I really could have benefited from back in the dog food days.

2018:

Enter @mobiuspoker, my younger brother Patrick.

Ex-physicist, gamer, genius.

Before him, no one had figured out how to operate databases with 100M+ hands -- software kept buckling under the pressure.

Pat cracked the code and gave us full vision.

2019:

Reloaded.

New strat protocols, big winrate gains.

Doubled down on recruitment and expanded to MTT's.

•strengthened community
•optimized systems
•built leverage

Next 3 years -->  $10M+ in player profits.

New high.

2022:

Got married, settled down.

Dad life, play-doh, Blippie.

Mostly sober, too much to lose.

I'm touring preschools and I'm wearing Tom Ford now.

TL;DR

I didn't do anything remarkable over the last 10 years.

I stayed persistent for a decade and moved the right people into the right positions to perform.

Then they brought the vision to life as a team.

Here's a natural takeaway:

If you just stay persistent, with passion, you will wake up years from now and not be able to recognize yourself.

Your situation will be transformed, and whatever your unique version of my "dog food" story is, it will just become a joke that you tell to drive the point home.

🐕

Thanks for reading.

If you liked this, join my free newsletter where I share actionable career strategies for poker players, sourced from one of the highest performing training operations in the industry.
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/nickhowardpoker

In 2012 I Ate Dog Food.

Your Biggest Mistake In The J4 Cheating Scandal, And What Every Poker Player Should Learn From It

On day one of the saga, I was at 80% "did not cheat" 🚫

On day five, I flipped to 90% "did cheat" ✅

Here's why leaning innocent early on is the ONLY logical approach to cheating investigations.

Owning one of the largest poker staking companies in the world comes with
its fair share of cheating scandals.

I've wrongfully suspected cheating in the past, and those experiences motivated me to reach for a deeper understanding of selection bias.

Accounting for selection bias requires a reframing of the question:

From: "What is the likelihood that an innocent person would call with J4 in this spot?"

To: "What is the likelihood that an innocent person would EVER call with J4 in this spot if given MANY chances to do it?"

Here's what this event looks like in the context of larger hand samples:

https://twitter.com/nickhowardpoker/status/1576966850218381312

When failing to account for selection bias, it's easy to assume that highly unusual events = cheating.

Some people in the J4 case were strongly convinced of cheating early on simply due to the bizarre nature of the hand.

These are the people who don't understand selection bias.

To counteract the power of selection bias in a singular event, you need a smoking gun.

The details of the stack theft didn't provide that, but they were significant enough to flip a rational person from "leaning innocent" to "likely guilty".

But what else motivates people to assume that cheating occurred before they have a smoking gun?

Some people have a strong history of being deceived in their past, which can cause them to over-correct toward a more cynical worldview.

It's a fairly common defense mechanism.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who operate from what is known as a "truth bias".

These people believe others are telling the truth more often than they actually are.

Holding the truth bias requires a LOT less energy than the bias that constantly scans for deception.

It's also possible that "truth biased" people encountered less deception from characters in their past, or internalized those experiences differently.

It didn't produce a cynical over-correction.

I'm only half joking when I post these types of things:
https://twitter.com/nickhowardpoker/status/1547465745843359744?s=20&t=ifLSN8ayEZ8yIi5V6cInNQ

Circling back ...

If selection bias is not honored in poker cheating scandals, the investigation loses objectivity.

This is why the most rational minds in the community were leaning towards innocence early on.

Without a smoking gun, it's the only logical option.

You can always move towards a higher likelihood of cheating as more evidence is introduced, but you have to begin on the side of innocence in order to account for selection bias.

Relying on "common sense" just doesn't cut it.

We're currently in a poker climate where many people think that ANY anomalous play is instantly grounds for a cheating accusation.

This type of thinking uses fractured logic to damage the reputations of people who are actually innocent.

It's reckless.

We still need to investigate diligently in order to protect people from instances where cheating actually occurred, but selection bias needs to remain paramount in those investigations.

The J4 case proved that we're not collectively aligned here.

Prepare for a future where people will often be accused of cheating in situations where they did nothing wrong.

When it happens again, it would be beneficial to the community if more people initially defaulted towards "innocent", and rationally worked their way towards "guilty".

Hopefully we can encourage each other to postpone our snap-judgements as we work together towards a more complete understanding of the case.

That path is more truthful, and the truth is safe because it's consistent.

Encouraging a more rational approach to cheating accusations is crucial if we want to foster a safer climate for the poker community.

If you'd like to put your stamp on that, please RT the first tweet of this thread to help raise awareness.

See you in the next scandal.

Thanks for reading.

If you enjoyed this, join my free newsletter where I share personal stories and career insights that help you upgrade your reasoning -- in poker and in life.
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/nickhowardpoker

The Reason You're Stuck At Small Stakes (It's Not What You Think)

Last week I received 100+ DM's from struggling poker players.

The issues were nearly identical.

Here's how you can finally move up in stakes.

Below is the tweet that prompted the wave of messages I received:

https://twitter.com/nickhowardpoker/status/1572598302671077378?s=20&t=oNnMuXLnQgEaPKOsfobWIQ

"Tell me the facts."

Almost all of the DM's included a back-story, with a description of events that led to a presently shitty situation.

Most of the stories were multiple paragraphs long.

Virtually all of them failed to acknowledge basic facts.

If you read the stories individually, each one appears unique.

But when you string them all together, patterns emerge and they reveal one collective story.

A story where the hero lacks accountability to the basics.

Each story is valid, and by generalizing them I am not trying to minimize the pain endured.

With that said, here is the reality:

Struggling poker players are not staying accountable to the basics.

This is the reason they are trapped at small stakes.

The basics are so powerful that once you apply them consistently, you will inevitably rise to mid-stakes.

This is because your current small stakes competition also lacks accountability to the basics.

As a small stakes player, 100% of your career focus should be placed on nailing the basics:

-Find a proven strategy
-Carve out time to study
-Build a consistent playing schedule
-Eat clean, sleep well, exercise daily

If you nail the basics, you will graduate from small stakes.

If you neglect the basics, you will remain trapped there.

Here's the truth:

You're not nailing the basics.

This is why poker feels so overwhelming, and it's why you're still stuck at small stakes.

Deep down you already know this.

It's not because you're not smart enough.

It's not because you lack work ethic.

It's just because you were never taught the basic skill sets that would allow you to approach poker in a structured and intentional way.

Take it from someone who has trained more small stakes poker players than virtually anyone in the world, anddeeply examined their behaviors.

There's one common denominator:

Accountability.

Players who are not able to beat small stakes are not accountable to the basics.

You are strong enough to confront this weakness.

Now you have a choice to make.

Ask yourself:

"What keeps me from staying accountable to the basics?"

This will either lead to a personally honest confession, or a hidden objection.

Let me know what you come up with in the comments, and I will help you if I can.

If you think you HAVE acknowledged the importance of the basics, then what keeps you from staying consistent?

-Do you need accountabilty to someone?
-Do you need more step-by-step strategy upgrades?
-Do you need a tutorial that shows you how to set up a daily schedule?

Share your thoughts with me below.

Also, if you want more free career support that I don't offer anywhere else, subscribe to my newsletter first.

Then come back and post your comment.

https://www.getrevue.co/profile/nickhowardpoker

The Hidden Way You Tilt In Poker, And How It's Killing You In Real Life

I always wondered how I tilted.

I knew I could spot a true blow up, but I never felt like I had the full picture.

Then in 2017, the answer hit me over the head.

As part of our executive training at Poker Detox, all of our top officers took the Harrison Assessment, one of the world's leading job suitability tests.

The results plot your behavioral tendencies across 12 specific zones.

Each zone has a critical impact on performance.

The test requires you answer self-assessment questions by ranking a number of statements from ‘most’ to ‘least’ preferred, or sometimes select a single statement out of a number of options.

Here's what makes the scoring different:

A person is considered "balanced" in a critical zone based on how well they juggle two (seemingly) opposing traits.

If you have an *equally high preference* for both of the key traits in a specific zone, then you are (paradoxically) balanced in that zone.

Here's what my "strategic" zone looked like in 2017.

This zone plots my preference for "risking" against my preference for "analyzing pitfalls" (using appropriate levels of caution).

The highlighted dot in the upper right quadrant is me.

I landed in the balanced region for this zone, which means I had an equally high preference for both key traits.

But what's that large tornado-like hole in the bottom right quadrant?

In Harrison terminology, this is known as a "flip".

The flip is basically an alter ego that emerges when a significant enough stressor is introduced.

My flip landed in the "cautious" region of the matrix, which indicates that I would become risk averse under high stress.

These results surprised me because I hadn't previously identified as a person with risk averse tendencies.

Technically I wasn't, I would just become one when placed under stress.

I had trouble taking swift, calibrated action under pressure.

Immobility. Freeze response.

In poker, this blindspot is the silent killer.

While there are some players who exclusively tilt in an impulsive way, they are few and far between.

Over a long enough timeline (and under enough stress), virtually everyone flips risk averse.

This is why I talk about risk tolerance a lot.

Because after you nail the basics, it's the #1 thing you need to address if you want to get better at poker.

Luckily, it's trainable.

Recently I compiled a case study list of the most popular narratives used by poker players in the moment before they made a passive mistake.

These narratives are worth knowing, so that you don't fall victim to them yourself.

They're all included in my new free E-book.

Enjoy 👇

The Reason You Can't Stop Stressing At The Poker Table, And How To Finally Chill.

"Because if I stop stressing, and something bad happens, it's going to be my fault." 

That sentence has been a common root in over 1000 performance consults with players at ALL levels of the game.

This thread is for people who don't like mindset work and just want answers.

There are two ways to become more accountable to your performance:

1. Self criticism
2. Self acceptance 

Only one of these paths has a bright future.

Here's how they unfold.

Self criticism uses a harsh inner dialogue to increase accountability. 

This throws you in a state of perpetual stress, which is the hallmark of the fixed mindset. 

We want to move away from this framework.

Self acceptance creates a natural space for self-accountability to arise, by regulating your nervous system with realistic performance expectations.

This relaxes performance, which is an inherent feature of the growth mindset. 

We want to move toward this framework. 

The two frameworks are easily confused because they tend to produce similar short-term results. 

Both can enhance your focus in a way that lowers the likelihood of your next mistake.

But when we look at how they map across a longer timeline?

Big differences.

You've probably already experienced the destructive side effects of the fixed mindset. 

Perfectionism, self doubt, and victimized narratives that mount from hand to hand. 

Then session to session. 

Until you hit a breaking point where you need to take extended time off. 

In comparison, the growth mindset is able to hit the "reset" button after each mistake, while still absorbing it as useful feedback.

This is a more sustainable approach to performance enhancement, because it creates a secure inner climate.

"Great, now give me something actionable." 

OK, try to stop labeling mistakes as "bad". 

If that feels impossible, it's probably because you haven't fully acknowledged that you're in a fixed mindset.

This is why you need to build awareness:

From a fixed mindset, you only know how to condemn mistakes. You do that because you learned to associate them with consequence or even punishment. 

This isn't your fault, it's just what was modeled to you by your earliest coaches and caregivers.

Your child mind needed a way to deal with the harsh corrections it encountered when making mistakes, and it landed on a framework that sounds something like this:

"If I avoid mistakes, I will be rewarded."
"If I make mistakes, I will be punished."

This is why you feel like shit. 

Because your mind operates on a reward/punishment framework that uses stress as a tool to avoid the consequences you associate with mistakes.

Hopefully there's no one yelling at you anymore, because you're an adult. 

(If there is, fix that)

What most people are dealing with is the mental imprint left behind by the harsh figures of their past, which they then reenact as self criticism in the present.

Fixed mindset.

Breaking out self criticism is scary because when it's all you actually know. 

Suspending your inner judgement feels like a legitimate threat when you associate relaxation with making more mistakes.

The truth is that the heart of self acceptance is actually found in forgiveness.

You are forgiving yourself for believing that you actually had control over the mistakes of your past, and for thinking that self criticism would prevent future mistakes from occurring. 

The reality is that you have always done the best you could do in any moment, and no amount of effort you apply will ever cause you to stop making mistakes.

The only control you have is in changing your relationship to them. 

Instead of jerking ourselves off with conversations on free will, let's just focus on this:

Criticizing yourself for making mistakes isn't required in order for you to stay accountable to them. 

Additionally, criticizing yourself for making mistakes doesn't make you a more responsible person, it actually just cripples your performance. 

This becomes more clear as you assess your performance across a longer time horizon.

I'll close with a quote that really helped me understand this.

When asked to speak on his relationship to "accidents" while painting, Jackson Pollock  (one of the most famous painters to ever live), responded:

"I don't use the accident - because I deny the accident."

Thanks for reading. 

If you enjoyed this, check out my newsletter below. It will help you complete the shift from a fixed to growth mindset by building a positive relationship with mistakes. 

You can subscribe for free here:
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/nickhowardpoker