(kind of LC) how to improve mental fortitude?

[Morrek]

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i think most people assume they should eliminate emotion at the poker tables, but i think that's the wrong way about it. emotion is part of us, it's part of who we are as organisms and it's wrong to fight it and try to eliminate it. everyone i know that is emotionless at the tables sinks into a rut and plays their C game all the time. they never tilt and play their F game, but they never have an A game either, and they never improve and get better.

it depends on what you're after with the game. if you want to grind all day, then fine, be emotionless. if you want to improve and really be exceptional at the game, i think you need to acknowledge it and accept it and harness it to drive you to do better. if you're emotionless you simply lose your ambition and competitive edge.

i'm not saying it's ok to tilt, i'm saying that you must have an extreme desire to crush your opponent, and you must be overconfident in yourself, and it must bother you to no end when your opponent outplays you. and at the same time you have to be level-headed enough to focus and find the best play. it's an extraordinarily delicate thing to balance, but it's the only way to be a top player in my opinion.

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nice post. I realize it's not exactly what you're talking about but I think if there's anything I should do it's to trust my feelings even more than I do now. Sometimes I just feel in my bones that I should call/fold/bet/raise/whatever and you know what? Just about every time my feeling is right. The only thing that differs is if I follow through on it or not.

Also, a little bit more about what you're saying, yes it's very important to not be like "yeah he outplayed me, oh well" but really STRIVE to be better and not ever let him outplay you again ever