Play the cards you are dealt – don’t whine

Life is full of ups and downs. You will have great days, good ones, some bad ones, and a few really awful ones. After many years, and many mistakes, I have learned it is important to play the cards that life deals you. Don’t waste precious time whining about why things should be different, or better, or that life is not fair. The reality is that life is not always fair. If you choose to whine you are choosing to be miserable.

You will experience setbacks

You will fail, and others will fail you. It seems like it has become acceptable to whine when things don’t go our way. Social media is littered with a mountain of moans, groans, and complaints about the world. I recommend you avoid adding to the pile. Instead – figure out what adjustments you need to make. Focus on the strategy you will use to make the most of the cards that you received. Think about your next move, and the move after that one, and the move after that one.

I do my best not to whine

A simple example from my own life may help illustrate the point. In 2016 I injured my back badly. I was in a lot of pain and discomfort. I was supposed to run the Army Ten-Miler that year. The reality I faced was that my body needed rest. Time to heal. Running the ATM would have been a mistake, so I decided not to run. That year I put a lot of hours and miles into preparing. I would have been justified in complaining about my injury. Why did it have to happen then? Pondering that question may have made me feel better, but it would not have helped me determine a new path forward. Instead, I took a few weeks off from running. I went to see my doctor. I adjusted my race schedule for the rest of the year. Tangible steps forward so that I could put the injury behind me, and keep moving towards my goal.

Play your cards and ask for new ones

Bottom line – sometimes circumstances and situations will go your way, and sometimes they will not. When they do – make the most of it. When they do not – do you best with what you have. Don’t whine. Ask God for guidance and hope for better cards next time.

You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run

Kenny Rogers, The Gambler

I am Doug Keating and this is my letter to sons.