Recently, I flipped on the TV and came across one of those poker shows. At that very moment, the announcer was practically screaming into the microphone that someone had gone “All-in.” From my days of playing poker, I knew what that meant. It meant that one of the players had pushed all of his chips into the center of the table. In doing so, he had put it all on the line. If he lost the hand, he would be out of the tournament.

From my days of playing poker, I can tell you that it takes an incredible amount of courage to go “all-in” in poker. Yet, I must say that it takes even greater courage to go “all-in” in life. Perhaps, that’s why so few people do.

The sad truth of the matter is that very few people ever go “all-in”; not in their careers, not in their businesses and not even in their marriages. Most people hold something back - just in case.

For instance, a person may go to the job everyday put in a solid eight hours, but very few employees really give their all. Sure, they put some of their chips on the table, but they hold a few back - just in case. Just in case their boss doesn’t reward their extra efforts. Just in case the company goes under. Just in case a better position opens up at a competing firm.

Amazingly, this is sometimes true even for the owners of the company. Sure, they’ve made an investment in time, money and energy, but they aren’t fully invested. They dabble with other businesses - just in case. They keep in close contact with their former employer - just in case.

Go All-in! (Part II)

And strangely, the people who are probably least “all- in” are the ones who need to be the most – spouses. You’d be surprised at the number of married couples who are hedging their bets. Sure, they’ve said the vows, bought a home together and even had children, but they’re not “all-in.” They don’t give their whole hearts, just in case the other spouse walks out and leaves them one day. They don’t share all of their hopes, dreams and fears, just in case they married the kind of person who will throw it back in their face.

My question for you this week is very simple: Have you gone “all-in”? Are you fully committed to the things that you say are important to you? Have you decided that you are willing to exhaust all of your resources, talents and energy in the pursuit of your goal? Or are you holding something back - just in case?

If you’re really honest with yourself, you’ll probably come to realize that you’ve been playing it safe. You’ve been holding back some of your chips so that you could fold this hand and move on to the next one if things don’t work out. And while that might be an acceptable poker strategy, it makes for a horrible life strategy.

After all, who says that there will be a next hand; or a next job or a next business or a next marriage? I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: Life is short and unpredictable. While you are waiting for the “perfect” cards to be dealt to you, the clock is ticking. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything worse than coming to the end of my dash with chips still left on the table.

Besides, in many ways, being “all-in” makes life easier. Once you’ve settled in your mind that there is no going back, you can devote all of your attention to moving forward. You’re no longer looking over your shoulder and thinking, “Well, I better keep the path behind me clear just in case I need to retreat.” When you’ve gone all-in, there is no retreat. You must either succeed or suffer the dire consequences of failure. Fortunately, when you have this level of commitment, you’ll be surprised at just how often you succeed.