There’s no better time than the present to get things done. Delaying for reasons other than strategy-based decision-making seems futile. But timing is sacrosanct. Often, the best things in life happen precisely when all the proverbial cards are aligned.
Everything must be perfect in an imperfect world for timing to work magic. Evidence abounds – the moment that cemented a connection with your better half, a pivotal moment in a story, a turning point in a movie, and a critical decision in a card game. Each of these represents the value of timing in life.
Dubbed the grand illusion, timing is a confluence of many factors. It presents as a moment, but it’s so much more than that. It represents a turning point, a watershed moment, perhaps even a paradigm expectation shift. It happens suddenly but with great anticipation and appreciation.
Consider the magical moment when you and yours locked eyes and knew that forever began at precisely that point. It’s universal energy rallying in support of a singular objective that is uniquely yours.
Perhaps you’ve dabbled in storytelling or been privy to a film script? Characters undergo a specific development arc, with the storyline weaving through a series of light and heavy moments until it reaches a breakpoint.
What happens next invariably determines the trajectory of the protagonists forever. Timing matters. The characters have an innate knowledge of how to seize the perfect opportunity to make things work as intended.
From Creative to Practical – Timing is Everything
Of course, we must time things just right to derive maximum benefit from our words and actions. An empathetic word spoken at the right time is golden. It’s like being touched by an angel. Narrowly avoiding a catastrophe is a blessing – timing is working its magic.
However, people take deliberate actions for strategic benefit, such as work or study, and advantage play. Consider a savvy poker player biding his or her time for precisely the right moment. Tactical and strategic elements routinely factor into the equation.
But there’s so much more going on behind the scenes. Many seasoned pros read Zynga poker guides, study poker psychology, and understand bankroll management before throwing their hat in the ring.
Assuming a group of poker players is competing for a windfall payout at a Multi-table Poker Tournament (MTT). This is standard practice in competitive poker games, and it brings out all sorts of players, greenhorns and card sharks alike.
A veteran of the game understands that poker is a strategy-based contest. In the opening stages of an MTT, novices tend to adopt an aggressive stance, playing every hand and raising at every opportunity. Timing is everything. Reading the tables like a pro is imperative in the digital world of online poker games. Experienced players know when to hold and when to fold.
Sometimes, strategy-based players give the illusion of losing to win. By only playing premium starting hands, you can preserve your bankroll, grow the poker pots, and take down monstrous winnings. But it’s all about timing it to perfection.
There is that moment when everything slots into place, and you drop the hammer. It’s true in poker, and it’s true in life. The world’s leading poker pros know this too well, including the legendary Doyle Brunson, Phil Helmuth, and Phil Ivey.
What Presents as the Perfect Opportunity?
Fortunately, there’s a lot of latitude on this question. Everyone is different. The perfect opportunity is whatever you want it to be. Remember the age-old aphorism – one man’s meat is another man’s poison. There’s plenty of merit in dreaming big and striving towards your objectives.
There are practical ways to gauge opportunity based on need, desire, experience, and determination. Often, we only realize what we’re capable of when the proverbial chips are down. When everything appears to be stacked against us, we learn who we are.
Many fine parables, notably the Tortoise and the Hare, invoke the perfect opportunity. The hare, confident that it would beat the tortoise in a contest, raced ahead. But that carelessness cost him the race because the slow and steady tortoise finished the race ahead of the hare.
Pacing and timing proved invaluable. The timing of the tortoise, not its speed, resulted in victory. This lesson applies to many different aspects of everyday life. It’s true in business, personal life, and in competitive gaming. Those split-second decisions tend to make or break our fortunes in life.
But are they spur-the-moment decisions? Or is everything leading up to the moment the trigger is finally pulled? Poker players tend to fold hand after hand, waiting for the right moment. But when that moment comes, they seize it with gusto to take down the pot. The perfect opportunity often coincides with ideal timing, and to what end?
A new business venture, a critical investment, meeting the right person, a milestone? Regardless, when the timing is in the works, you will know that the perfect opportunity is yours. Some folks say it’s the invisible hand of fate at work!
