Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
In poker sometimes a player is "all in." That means that the player put all of his chips into the pot. He might lose it all or win big.
I'm not a poker player. In fact I've never played poker for money. I've watched poker on TV, but not lately, yet the phrase has really been on my mind for a few days. The phrase can apply to things other than poker - things like treasure hunting, for example.
Some people go "all in" when they do things. I seldom do. I'm a person that tends to keep a good supply in reserve for a time when I think I really need it. That was a problem I had with athletics and academics. I call it a problem because I could have done much better, but I never really put out 110%. I regret that at times.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not afraid of effort or work and will go as far as anyone when I set a goal for myself. One day, for example, I decided I was going to hunt until I got a piece of gold. I started at sunrise and did't quit until I hit a small gold ring as the sun was starting to go down. And I've learned to hunt in conditions that some would call impossible, yet I usually am not that committed.
It wasn't until my second season of college football that I realized that most of the guys were working at the sport and I was really up until that time just playing. I was coasting. I was known as slow, but decided to try to beat everybody in the forty and managed to beat all of the half backs that I was running against that day. Everybody was shocked when the coach called out my name. That was an eye-opener for me. I had enough talent that I had been fairly successful without going all out. I don't know if that was a blessing or curse. I suppose it really doesn't matter one way or the other.
To give one person as an example, it seems to me that Mel Fisher went all in. He paid a high price, but you also know what he accomplished, even though it was a long time coming.
I don't know about most people. I don't know how committed they are to their career, or to their loved ones, or their faith, or to anything. I'm not that deep into their lives, but I know that I'm not 100 percent into most things. I'd like to think that my priorities are right but suspect they are sometimes not what they should be.
What I'm getting to, and it most certainly applies to treasure hunting, most but not all of us, are not "all in." And that is OK, but you can't dabble around a little here and there and expect to have as much of a chance of being successful as someone who is "all in."
There is luck for sure. It occurs once in a while, like when someone hits it big in Lotto. There are people who go out and stumble onto a gold escudo on their very first hunt. I know it has happened, but that is very very rare.
Did you realize that divers on salvage ships don't get paid a salary? There might be some that get a salary, but those that I know don't. It is a little like a waiter that works only for tips or a salesman that works totally on commission. You only profit if and when you are successful. You don't know exactly how much it will be, or if it will be enough to keep you going. That is why a lot of people don't do it. They want something more sure. They want, and perhaps need, something more secure.
For most people treasure hunting is a hobby. They have reserves of some sort. They don't depend upon it for their entire livelihood. They aren't really "all in."
Not everybody should be all in. I don't know who should be or when. I just don't know.
First of all, you have to be yourself. You have to be that type of person. You have to do it for the right reason. You have to be in the right situation. And sometimes it takes a little luck.
What I want you to do today is to think a little about if you are "all in." I'm not only talking about treasure hunting, but anything in life. Maybe family and faith are two important things for you. If so, are you "all in" when it comes to those things?
I can't say what is important for you. I don't know you that well. Only you do. And maybe you don't even know yourself that well. All I am suggesting today is that there are varying levels of commitment, and it might be a good idea to consider if you are "all in" on the things that are really important to you.
To those of you who are living your most authentic life, I want to congratulate you, and for those of you who are not, you might want to give it some thought. Be sure to take into account who you really are and who you really want to be.
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Look for a two to three foot surf for a few days on the Treasure Coast. There will be a south wind, so don't expect any real improvement in conditions real soon.
Its getting very warm already this year.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
