She was a slot machine in Vegas.
My hotel room came with a complimentary beverage and a few free bucks at a slot machine.
I drank the wine....and then registered to use my Vegas bucks.
Only a few slot machines would accept these particular Vegas bucks......so I wandered around the casino trying to pick up a good luck vibe.....felt nothing.....and plunked myself down in front of Cleopatra.
After all, this wasn't serious gambling....but a few free minutes of fun.
Hub joined me and I could hear his Mensa neurons snapping because he couldn't figure out the strange patterns which equaled a win.
Cleopatra seemed to defy logic.
So I started to play my nickels....you could play between 1-10 nickels at a spin.
The more nickels you risked.....the more your chances ....but of course the more you would lose each play.
I played my nickels very Gina-like......I wouldn't bet 1 or 2 nickels.....and I certainly wouldn't bet 9-10.....I would hit the 6-7 range.... then go wild with a single 8 nickel spin even a rare 10 nickel spin.... then return to my above average yet comfortable risk zone.
A zig zag light suddenly flashed on the screen.....and I earned a couple complimentary spins and viola..... I won ...$20.00
Respectable.......not spectacular......but enough of an enticement to keep me pressing the nickel at button on the machine.....at least until my Vegas bucks were used up.
Because I wasn't sure what I was doing....or how the lines were paying off.....I did something odd for me.......even though I consciously knew I would lose more and my bucks might be used up quickly....I started betting 9-10 nickels.
It was uncomfortable....I wanted to return to at least my 7 range...but I kept, for some reason, pushing myself....pressing the 10 button....risking it all.....50 cents a spin!!!
And just like before .....some mysterious zig zag..... earned a couple complimentary spins.
But the catch was......
your winnings on the complimentary spin were determined by the amount you were betting......so at 6 nickels a spin....you might win 20.00 dollars.....
but at 9-10 nickels a spin......the winnings skyrocketed....
I took my complimentary spin and won $100.00.
I was shocked....not just because I won something...but because I realized (on this small level) big risks can pay off.
If I had stayed the Gina-course I would have won 20.00.....but by pushing myself....I quadrupled my rewards.
This is nutty....
but I keep thinking I stumbled upon a life lesson here.....one of those inadvertent things...
So is the way to win big in life....based upon how much a leap....a risk you are willing to take?
if you do things very conservatively.....you win....solidly...
if you take above average risk.......you win....sufficiently....
but if you make yourself uncomfortable....if you go beyond what you normally would do.....
is that when life lets you cash in?
Is that when you find the great job.....or adventure....or the relationship of a lifetime?
If you go beyond your comfort zone....force yourself into a new place....is that when you find something spectacular?
If you bet 2 nickels....you would never get there.....if you bet 7 nickels...you could on occasion get there.....but if you bet 10....you could hit the jackpot more often.....
I can't stop thinking about it.....
I'm wondering if I've lived a 6-7 nickel life?????
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