I don’t play slot machines. There’s too many times that you pull the lever and lose. The enticing part about slot machines is that, every once in a while, it will come up three cherries.
For me, that rare occasion is not worth the frustration of all the losing attempts.
Sometimes, I am playing the slots in other areas of my life without realizing it.
For example, I’ve been listening to the Joe Rogan podcast for years. At first, it was both educational and entertaining. I learned about paleo, keto and carnivore diets. I was introduced to interesting authors discuss topics ranging from sleep to anthropology to philosophy. I looked forward to Rogan’s conversational approach in his long form podcasts.
This changed a lot for me in the past year. The guests and topics have become repetitive. I don’t share Joe’s interest in MMA, hunting, conspiracy theories, UFOs or comedy. Instead of hearing several entertaining podcasts a week, I find myself getting irritated with many of them. They’re just not interesting anymore.
A few weeks ago, I realized I’ve been playing the slots with his podcasts. 9 out of 10 are disappointing. That 1 episode that’s a winner is not worth skimming through the other 9 to get to.
So I deleted it from my podcast subscription list.
I was talking to a friend who recently ended an on-again/off-again “friendship” with an ex-girlfriend. As he described the “friendship” to me, I responded that they weren’t friends. He had been playing the slots with this relationship. 90% of their interactions left him feeling bad. But just when it seemed like all hope was lost, they’d have a pleasant interaction and he’d think the friendship was deepening.
I explained my slot machine analogy and how it applied to his situation. He agreed it was accurate.
I didn’t offer advice (no one ever takes it). Instead I told him that he’d probably end his friendship with his ex when it got bad enough that the 1 out of ten 10 wins weren’t worth the effort required to deal with the 9 in 10 losses.
My friend broke it off and hasn’t tried to rekindle that relationship. Yet.
I likely won’t add Joe Rogan back into my podcast subscriptions. Once I’ve made a decision, I’m usually committed to taking action and moving on.
I hope my friend takes the same approach, if it works for him.
If not, he can always play the slots again. After all, many people play the slots for a hit of dopamine and a chance to win, regardless of the odds.