The Shot After This One

I learned more about decision-making from pool tables than from any business book. Not because pool is complicated. It’s not. You line up a shot, you hit the ball, it either goes in or it doesn’t. But the game isn’t really about making one shot. It’s about what happens after.

The best players aren’t thinking about the ball in front of them. They’re thinking three shots ahead. Where will the cue ball land? What angle does that give me next? Am I setting myself up or boxing myself in? Most people just want to make the shot. Any shot. They see an opening and take it. And then they’re stuck. No angle. No options. Watching someone else run the table.

We do this in life too

We make decisions that feel good right now without thinking about what they create next.

The job that pays more but pulls us further from what we actually want to build.

The client we say yes to because we need the money, even though we know it’ll drain us for months.

The shortcut that works today but creates problems we’ll have to clean up later.

We take the shot in front of us. We don’t think about the one after.

The easy shot costs you

In pool, the easy shot is tempting. It’s right there. You can make it. It feels like progress. But if you take it without thinking ahead, you end up with the cue ball in the worst possible spot. No clean angle to the next ball. You’re forced into a harder shot. Or you miss and hand control to your opponent.

The same thing happens in business and career.

You take the easy client because they’re ready to sign. But they’re also the ones who nickel-and-dime you, change scope halfway through, and leave bad reviews when you don’t read their minds.

You say yes to the opportunity in front of you without asking if it actually moves you toward where you want to go. And six months later, you’re further from your goal than when you started.

You make the decision that avoids discomfort now. But it creates bigger discomfort later.

The easy shot always costs more than you think.

Thinking in sequences

Pool players talk about “running the table.” It means controlling the game from start to finish. Making every shot, one after another, until there’s nothing left.

But you can’t run the table by taking shots one at a time. You have to see the whole sequence.

The setup matters more than the shot. — Jack Trama

You have to know: if I make this shot here, the cue ball ends up there. And from there, I can make that shot. And from that position, I can make the next one.

It’s not magic. It’s just thinking two or three moves ahead instead of one.

We forget to do this in real life.

We think about the decision in front of us. Not what it creates. Not where it leaves us. Not what options it opens or closes.

But every decision is part of a sequence. What you do today sets up what you can do tomorrow. The move you make this week determines the position you’re in next month.

If you only think about right now, you end up reacting. Scrambling. Stuck.

If you think in sequences, you stay in control.

The decisions nobody sees

The shots that matter most in pool aren’t always the flashy ones.

They’re the small positioning shots. The ones where you barely move the ball but leave yourself perfectly set up for what’s next.

Nobody watching thinks those shots are impressive. But the player knows. That’s the shot that wins the game.

It’s the same in life.

The conversation you have with your team when nobody’s watching — that’s the one that builds trust.

The email you don’t send when you’re angry — that’s the one that protects the relationship.

The hour you spend planning instead of reacting — that’s the one that creates momentum.

These decisions don’t feel dramatic. But they’re the ones that compound. They’re the ones that set you up.

Most people skip them because they don’t look like progress. But they are.

Playing your own game

When you first start playing pool, you watch the other player. You react to what they do. You take whatever shot they leave you.

But when you get better, you stop reacting. You start shaping the game. You don’t just take the shot they gave you. You make the shot that puts them in a tough spot next.

You’re not just playing the table. You’re playing the sequence. You’re controlling what happens next.

That’s when you stop feeling like life is happening to you.

You’re not just responding to what shows up. You’re making moves that create the outcomes you want. You’re setting yourself up instead of hoping things work out.

It doesn’t mean you control everything. You’ll still miss shots. Things will still go wrong.

But you’re playing your game, not someone else’s.

Play your own game, not someone else’s. — Jack Trama

What happens when you don’t think ahead

I’ve watched people take shot after shot and wonder why they keep losing.

They made every shot they lined up. But they didn’t line up the right ones. They kept taking what was easy instead of what was smart.

And over time, they ran out of room. No good options left. Forced into impossible angles. Game over.

It’s painful to watch. Because you can see it coming. You can see the moment they chose the wrong shot. The moment they gave up control.

I see it outside of pool too.

People take jobs that look good on paper but leave them miserable two years later.

They start businesses without thinking about what running that business will actually require.

They make choices that feel right in the moment but create situations they can’t get out of.

And then they wonder why they feel stuck.

The discipline to wait

The hardest part of pool isn’t making the shot. It’s waiting for the right one.

Sometimes the best move is to play safe. Don’t go for the hard shot. Don’t force it. Just make sure you don’t give your opponent an easy run.

That takes discipline. Because part of you wants to go for it. You want the big move. The impressive shot.

But the smart players know: patience wins more games than risk.

It’s the same in life.

Sometimes the best decision is to wait. Not because you’re scared. But because the setup isn’t right yet.

Don’t take the client just because they’re interested. Wait for the one that fits.

Don’t say yes to the opportunity just because it’s in front of you. Wait for the one that actually moves you forward.

Don’t make the move just because you feel pressure. Wait until the position is right.

That’s not hesitation. That’s strategy.

Why this matters

Most people don’t lose because they make one huge mistake.

They lose because they made a hundred small decisions without thinking about what they were creating.

They took the easy shot every time. And every time, it left them in a slightly worse position.

Eventually, there’s no good move left.

But if you learn to think in sequences — if you make decisions based on what they create, not just how they feel — you stay in control.

You don’t always win. But you’re always setting yourself up. You’re always creating options. You’re always moving toward something instead of just reacting.

That’s what separates people who feel stuck from people who feel like they’re building something.

It’s not luck. It’s not talent. It’s just thinking one shot ahead.