It’s Not About The Cards You’re Dealt, It’s About The Hand You Play
My Mom was dealt a 7-2 off suit, one of the worst hands you could be dealt in poker. My dad was dealt the royal flush, an unbeatable hand. But who won?
Let me start with the success story of my Mom. My Mom is the perfect example of someone who was set up to fail, but she had the recipe for success: will power, strategic choices, and seized every opportunity.
She has accomplished so much that even to this day she says, “I don’t know how I did it.”
Story time.
In 1963, my Mom was born in Casablanca, Morocco. In 1965 my grandmother decided to leave Morocco and take my Mom with her when she was only two years old. This was at a time when immigration of Moroccan Jews to Israel was illegal, but my grandmother wanted a better life for my Mom, so she took the risk, hopped on a ship, and fled Morocco. The trip by sea from Morocco to Israel took a couple of weeks.
My Mom was the first of many children, in fact she was 1 of 17 children, being solely raised by her mother. She remembers living in a one bedroom home and taking care of her siblings.
At age 17, my Mom came to America for the first time to see what it was like. It was always a dream of hers. But she needed to complete her time as a personal assistant to the General in the Israeli Defense Force for two years, and so she did.
By the time she was 24 she decided she wanted to move to America. She wanted a better life for herself and to live the American dream. From what she remembers, she came to Los Angeles, California with about $1,000 and some clothes.
Leaving her family behind and not speaking much English only made things more difficult for her. The easy choice was for her to go back to Israel when life was testing. But, she knew she wanted to have a family of her own someday and raise children with a better life in America.
And then she met my dad, a car salesman, who sold her a car. A few years later, they ended up getting married, and then came babies — my brother and me.
By the time I was three years old and my brother was four, our dad left.
My Mom did not know about FICO scores or credit cards or anything. So, my Dad opened up everything under my mom’s name. The apartment they were renting, their car, credit cards, and bank accounts were all under my Mom’s name only. When he left, who do you think owed all the debt? My Mom.
She ended up filing bankruptcy and we were nearly homeless. This was an opportunity for my mom to fold her hand, and go back to Israel, but she didn’t want that.
The landlord of the apartment complex helped her with rent, the neighbors brought us food, and my mom would have weekly garage sales, clean neighbor’s homes, babysit other kids, anything to make ends meet. Are you wondering where I learned how to side hustle like a champ? 😏
My Mom HUSTLED. I vividly remember going to other garage sales on weekends and my Mom telling people that she would happily take anything off their hands that people didn’t buy by the end of their garage sale. She would pick up anything and from multiple sales and then have her own garage sale selling those items the following weekend. Meanwhile, she probably didn’t realize how much she taught me about money, negotiating, being resourceful, and sales.
She ended up getting her own car after the bankruptcy which was the first step for her to try and get her first job. But first, she needed to learn English better, and so she did. Soon after, she became an international flight attendant. She made it. At the end of the day, she raised my brother and I all on her own. It took a lot of sacrifice, will power, time, and it was a grind.
The even better news, she is now debt free, owns her home free & clear, and has built her retirement accounts all by herself. She was dealt a hand of cards that would take a lot of plays to win, and she definitely won.
My dad on the other hand…
He folded with his royal flush. Who does that? He had successful parents, great siblings, was educated, spoke English, was always supported financially and in life. In the end, he unfortunately ended up homeless and in a place I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Moral of the story
There are things in life you won’t get to choose. No one chooses their starting point, but it’s up to you to choose where you end up. And although you may not get to choose your starting hand, you do get to choose how to play.
It’s up to you to play a poor hand well. ♠️ And that takes hard work.
No matter where you’re at financially right now in this present moment, I believe you can achieve wealth, financial freedom, and a lifestyle you want. It’s a matter of refining, retooling, or maybe reinventing parts of your life. Roll up your sleeves a bit and do the work. My Mom wanted it bad enough, the question is, do you?
♣️ “The key to success is playing the hand you were dealt like it was the hand you wanted.”♦️
If you start feeling a bit stuck on your journey to financial freedom, remember this: as long as you are still in the game, anything is possible. How are you going to play your hand?
Cheers.
