As most people do around this time, I have been thinking quite heavily about what I want to get out of the next 365 days of my life. 2004 was a stressful but enjoyable year for me. There were very few things in my life that I couldn't smile about. I met a wonderful woman that makes me smile like no one else can. I pulled out my 4.0 for the second straight year. I scored a great internship. All in all, there were very few bad things that happened to me in 2004. Yet, even with all the good things that happened last year, I feel strangely unsatisfied when I look back on it.

When I reflect on what I learned and how I grew over last year, I feel empty inside. I have a natural urge to learn everything I can about whatever I engage myself in and do whatever it is "the best I can" as cliche as that sounds. When I look at all the things I took up in 2004, I didn't even come close to scratching the surface when it comes to getting better at any of them. By and large, last year was a "get my feet wet" year in relation to a lot of things, college clubs, golf, work, but most of all poker. I have been playing for a couple years off and on, but nothing serious. 2004 was to be the year that I grew in my mastery of the game. Unfortuantly, I don't think I made much progress in that department.

When you look at my numbers from last year, you wouldn't think that was the case. Remarkably, they turned out pretty well. I was up more than I ever thought I would be. However, and I think I said this before, poker is not about the money for me. All I care about is getting better, making better decisions, better reads, better bets, just overall playing better than I did when I first started. The money comes second.

Over the last year, I haven't done that. I am still making the same mistakes that I made when I first started playing. I still get to attached to big hands, calling when I know I have been beat. I still don't play position the way I should. I still see way to many flops, hell I see almost as many rivers for that matter (almost 20% of my hands I see the river, but I win more than half of them). I still don't take the time to stop and think before I make a decision. I still am the type of guy that you would want sitting at your table.

I know what the leaks in my game are, and I know, for the most part, what I need to do to fix them, but I just can't seem to do it. This year it all changes. In 2005 I am going to make a conscious effort to plug the leaks and that starts tonight. I have completely emptied the Poker Tracker database and am starting fresh. The bankroll has been emptied except for $100 at party. The goal is to start at the lower limits and work my way up mastering each level as I go. I'll stick to the general rule in moving up the limit ladder accumulating 300 BB before changing levels. I hope to pick up an average of 40-50BB a week but that depends on how much time my schedule allows for poker and how quickly I learn to play.

As far as obtaining the knowledge to hone my game, a lot of it comes with playing and critical, true, reflection on my game. There will be a lot of that. However, there is s also ome schoolin' that I can't provide myself. To satisfy that need I shall turn to the blogger community. I have learned so much from them already, and I know I can learn so much more and now I hope I will be able to implement both the old and newly acquired information.

Maybe I'll be back at the 3/6 tables by the end of the year and turning a healthy profit. That would be nice on the pocket book, but I really don't care as long as I am learning something.

With that said, wish me luck as I take step one of my thousand mile journey.