What's in it for Me?

That is the $1 Million dollar question. Before you get involved in a hand you need to ask yourself that question each and every time. What is the point of getting involved in a pot when that pot has no benefit to you whatsoever based on your pre flop holdings andn position? Many poker players like to play pots simply for ths sake of playing them. When you are sitting on a lot of chips that makes perfectly good sense as it increases your luck quotient considerably. However, when you are picking up computer hands like [7][2], [J][5], [T][4] and the like it becomes very difficult to get involved in a pot with that kind of hand unless the action has folded or limped around to you.

The thing you need to be conscious of is that patience can be a good thing to have when you are not picking up hands and are in bad position. Even when you do hit top pair with those kinds of weak hands you are still going  to be in big trouble most of the time.

Is that it?

Not at all. Now you need to employ that same kind of thinking after the flop, turn and river when you do have a hand worth being involved with. Poker by its nature is a very selfish game and you should always be thinking about what the benefit is of playing your hand. If it serves no purpose other than to contribute dead money to the pot then it isn't worth the time and effort of putting your chips in the middle.