Nose to the ground...

I've been slacking again lately, my volume has been pretty non-existent this past week, and its clearly affecting my bottom line. I'm hoping to get things back on track after the 21st, as I'm currently out of town and will likely continue my unsatisfactory volume until my return to AZ. Through observation and experience it becomes clearer and clearer how a dedicated personal work ethic is an absolute necessity to the lifestyle/career path I've chosen, there's no one forcing you to get up and go to work, everything is a personal choice with no immediate consequence. I'm already eagerly awaiting Pokerstars to announce there adjustments to the VIP program for 2011, obviously (for those of you who play on Stars) they keep us in the dark as long as possible, hardly muttering a whisper until mid -late December about their intentions or adjustments. I expect that, should Pokerstars introduce a mid Elite level or make Elite that much more attainable, my VIP's for the year will likely triple (if not more) in 2011. At the start of 2010 I was exceptionally unprepared to make any form of serious commitment or goal w/ respect to volume or VPP's earned. For those following this blog that has obviously changed, and my goals, which I will announce in correlation w/ Pokerstars' release of the adjustments to their VIP program, will be more accurate, attainable, and understood, as I will have a better grip on what it takes to put in certain amounts of volume, and play at certain levels profitably.

Below you'll find a summary of the differences between this year and last year, and how I feel they affect my (or your)
success in long term goals/immediate results.

VIP Level
2010 - I started 2010 w/ Plat. star, and I busted my ass to get it prior to 2010 starting as I knew I would be putting
in a significant amount of volume in January, and wanted to capitalize on whatever amount of rakeback I could to cushion
the potential swings I would be facing
2011 - I'll be starting 2011 with Supernova, which is a massive edge in comparison with Platinum star, it allows me to
essentially spin my wheels (rakeback whore) profitably, which is extremely relevant in the $114 18's/$104 DoN's or any
other high stakes game I choose to play.

Experience
2010 - I started the year having dabbled briefly in the 16's, and moved back down to grinding the $6.50's as I didn't want
to go through a swing that would prevent me from being rolled for the $27/$38/$60 18's which I had never played, and had
decided would simply dive into (30 tabling) hoping to strike the positive side of variance.
2011 - As a poker player I have experienced a tremendous amount of growth throughout the last year, I have made the
transition from a $6.50 grinder pre 2010, to one of the more capable $114/$60/$38 18/45 Man grinders, and have completely
eliminated any lower buy in's than that from my playing schedule in an attempt to maximize my hourly rate.

Bankroll/Community
2010 - I began 2010 with a 2.5k bankroll, which I was grinding up during my stay with my parents for Christmas during 2009,
in an attempt to be able to absorb some amount of swing that might occur during January and my induction to games
that included regulars who played the game for a living. In mid 2010 I essentially went busto for reasons I'll not share
with the entire world, and was forced to grind 6.50's and below, I was unaware of any way to play in the games that
excluded my own roll.
2011 - I now have a slightly larger roll, one that is much more capable of withstanding the variance of the games I choose
to play. More importantly, I have a strong network of stakers/backers on and off Parttimepoker.com who are more than
happy to take my action for a percentage, should my personal roll become unavailable or bust. This is crucial
as my hourly rate won't slip to a fraction of what it is now due to a lack of funding at any point during 2011, unlike
2010.

As you can see, I'm much more prepared now to pursue any personal goals than I was at the beginning of 2010, maintaining
an honest relationship with yourself about where you stand is an integral part of our success, gl to all of us in making
2011 a stronger year than 2010!