What

This site is the product of an ongoing effort to chronicle the lessons I learn over the course of my lifetime – my personal ‘Lightbulb Moments’. I share these perspectives in hopes that they might one day assist others with their own exploration of personal growth and the human condition.

Why

When I first started blogging in 2006, the intent was to track my progress as I attempted to become a professional poker player. But what I noticed over the years was that improving my poker game usually involved overcoming deep-seated character flaws and social frictions. The more I recognized the seemingly infinite parallels that exist between poker and life, the more I understood why my refinement as a player continually fostered my evolution as a human being as well. For these reasons, I eventually shifted the focus of my writing to human society and personal development.

As for the name of this site, I originally chose it because “OddsBeDamned” was my online poker alias. But after considering all the obstacles we so often have to overcome in order to achieve growth both individually and collectively, I decided that it remained a fitting title.

DISCLAIMER: The material I post here is nothing more than a reflection of what I’ve concluded to be true at the time that I post it. I claim no particular authority with respect to the human condition and fully understand that I will always have plenty to learn in this life. That said, I do hope my work here someday helps stimulate self-reflection in others so that they might discover their own truths, regardless of how much or how little those realizations resemble mine.