Fergal O'Brien is clear, he's coming towards the last season of his professional snooker career.
Last summer he secured a two-year tour card through Q School, but a disappointing campaign means he's already thinking about life off the baize.
He'll finish out his card, but realistically the upcoming qualifiers for the World Championship might be the beginning of his second last chance to reach the promised land.
"It would take something extraordinary to happen for that to change," says the 51-year-old.
"After last year's World Championship qualifier exit, my first reaction was that I wasn't going to go to Q School. If it had been on a few weeks earlier, I wouldn't have gone.
"Had I not secured my tour card last year I was never going to take a year out and come back this year to go through Q School again.
"If I hadn't gone to Q School, that was it."
What comes next is also clear in O'Brien's mind as he plans a new course, with snooker still front and centre.
"Doing some TV work, commentary and studio analysis, is definitely something I'll pursue. Even if I was offered it full-time now, and it meant stopping playing, I'd do that now.
"I'm also doing coaching in Ireland, trying to find the next prospect, as well as working with some of our top amateurs. Down the road I'd like to work with some of the pros."
O'Brien has worked with Aaron Hill, who is also in qualifier action this week, with the Cork 20-year-old singing his praises after he helped him to win his own tour card last summer.
Before all that though, there's the minor matter of O'Brien attempting to plot a course through the snakepit and put himself into the main draw for the Crucible.
The 1999 British Open champion has slipped to 129 on the one-year ranking list, reflecting his solitary victory this season at the qualifying for the UK Championship.
It means that he will have to win four best-of-19-frames matches to book one of the 16 available places in Sheffield, with the tournament proper kicking off on Saturday week, and running to its traditional May Bank Holiday Monday conclusion.
O'Brien faces Welsh teenager Liam Davies - who beat him in a second round qualifier last year - tomorrow.
He is the last player from the Republic of Ireland to emerge from the qualifiers for the game's biggest event. That was in 2017, when he beat David Gilbert 10-9, concluding with the longest frame in the history of the sport.
"I still get slagging about that," he acknowledges.
It took a full two hours, three minutes and 41 seconds to finally see off the Englishman in the deciding frame, but then he met an in-form Mark Selby, and was beaten 10-2 in the first round, the Jester from Leicester going on to claim title number three that April.
While the 2023/23 season has been a frustrating one for the Lucan native, and the drive might not be as strong as it once was for some of the events, there's still a fire in the belly to get back to the Crucible.
"Regardless of other tournaments, it never fades," adds the former world number nine.
"The World Championships is still the World Championships - it's such a great draw. When I was higher up the rankings, I was automatically going to the Crucible and it was fantastic.
"Even at this stage, 32 years later, a few days away from the Worlds you've still got the butterflies. It's prominent in your thoughts, whether you like it or not.
"If you'd said I wouldn't win a match all season, but I'd get to the Crucible, I'd have taken your hand off.
"I've kept up my part of the bargain, so hopefully the snooker gods are looking down and saying, 'fair is fair, he's had a bad season, let's get him to the Crucible!'"
"I still love playing, I enjoy playing and I certainly have aspirations. The dream is still alive."
