I have a problematic history with gambling. Which is to say that I enjoy it far too much, and I lack the self-control to stop most of the time.
Thankfully, I self-medicate by just never going anywhere near most gambling establishments. I love going to casinos, but as a result, I just never do to avoid the unfortunate state of losing all my money. It’s a weird combination… I know on an intellectual level that the house always wins. That’s why casinos exist… if they were in the business of losing money, they wouldn’t be in business. And I tend to be pretty good with both probabilities and avoiding standard fallacies (“Somebody has to win!”).
But at the same time I can’t really help myself. I always lose, but I always play if given the chance.
In some ways, my career is a gamble of its own. I know the likelihood of becoming a full-time writer who can support himself on his writing is slim, even if I work my butt off (which I do!). And yet, here I am, betting that this will be the book that will let me spend more time and energy writing, and less doing all the other things I have to do to support my writing.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!