When I was a kid my parents had a record by the late Kenny Rogers and I remember them playing the song The Gambler. I had this song queued on my music list because I played it for my boys when Kenny Rogers passed away. One particular morning I was listening to it while warming up for my workout and I noticed this song is about much more than a game of poker. This song teaches us about leading ourselves.
A Train Bound for Nowhere
I heard this first stanza in a way I never had before. I always thought they were sitting at a poker table. They were two men lost in the haze of life staring out the window maybe trying to figure out their purpose. This can feel like our lives as we lead ourselves and others.
At times we feel like we are on a train bound for nowhere or simply ru
nning the rat race of life. We are looking for purpose. Maybe the business is struggling, the boss is on you more than usual, you aren’t meeting your numbers or life at home is even more stressful. Sometimes we need a gambler to speak wisdom into our lives just like happens in this song.
I Can See Your Out of Aces
As they begin talking, the gambler can tell something is on his mind. If you are out of aces in poker you are in a hard place. (I assume since I’ve never played poker) He was down on his luck and life was not going well for this man on the train.
I’ve heard it said that there are no two good days in a leader’s life. My guess is this man had been experiencing many days that weren’t going well. He was soothing his pain with whiskey in hopes to make it better. When you are all out of aces and down on your luck who or what do you run to? Does it help you lead better or hurt your leadership?
Learn to Play it Right
As I listened to this part I was seeing things I’d never seen before over the years. The gambler wasn’t giving advice on how to play poker as much as how to deal with life and adversity. If you know this song you are familiar with how much of the rest goes. One of the pearls of wisdom the gambler drops is:
“The secret to survivn’ is knowin’ what to throw away and knowin’ what to keep.”
In leading ourselves and others we constantly make decisions on what to persevere through and what to let go of. At times we have to keep the cards we are dealt and persevere to the other side in order to fulfill our personal or professional vision. Other times we must let go of the habits, hurts, or ideas that don’t serve us and/or those we lead.
Just like the poker player doesn’t know what to keep and what to throw away the same is true for us. How can we speed this process? Surround ourselves with other leaders to help us increase our collective wisdom and learn from those who have gone before us as the gambler taught this man.
Has leading got you down? Is there something you need to “throw away” or something you want to throw away, but need to keep? Are you losing the self-leadership battle and need someone on your side to help you identify what to push through and what to let go of either personally or strategically within your organization or team? Contact me for a thirty-minute thinking partner session at no cost to you. I can’t help you with poker, but I can help you think into your results for more focus and effectiveness. Lead Well.
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