FloorRida

This is hard to write, but I know it’ll help someone: I have (had) a gambling addiction. It didn’t start in a casino. It started with Pokémon booster packs. Then Yu-Gi-Oh. Then starting a business. Then crypto. NFTs, Memecoins. Then sports betting. Every time I won big, I told myself: “It’s not luck. It’s all me.” And that belief is what makes it so dangerous. This has happened a lot in my life. I get lucky, especially when I put myself in positions to win. Even when I played poker, you saw it last year, I maxed out my luck stat. I won multiple $50,000 hands when the odds on paper were extremely against my favor. Then I entered crypto, a world where many times, we are alone at our computers, having no one to help monitor us, but ourselves. I started with $10,000, did well with NFTs, even better with Ordinals, and played memecoins extremely well. Roundtripped a bunch, but walked away green. I played well. I was sharp. But I got lucky, a lot. And that’s the trap. Crypto, like gambling, rewards people who believe in themselves a little too much. You’re alone at a screen, no rails, no rules. Nobody checking in on you. Just vibes and volatility. When memecoins cooled down, I needed a new hit. So I started betting sports. Just for fun. But “fun” turned into bigger bets. Hot streaks. Greed. I was up a lot. Until I wasn’t. I knew, I even said it out loud, that it was time for me step away. But as with many competitive people, people who have infinite belief in themselves, I kept going. Just one more win, let’s double it, onwards. And you know the rest of the story, but before it got bad, I stopped. And before it got really bad, I stopped. This thread marks a shift. In mindset. In identity. A new arc. Because here’s the truth about gambling: You can beat the beast. That’s the problem. You’re smart. You’re competitive. You might have an edge. And that’s exactly how the beast wins. It feeds off every break in your discipline. The only way to win? Starve it. So I stopped watching random NBA games I didn’t care about. I picked up a basketball myself. Got in the gym. Hit the shooting machine. Played pick-up like a kid again. It’s not about money. It’s about attention. So I wrote this. For me. And maybe for you too: I’m a builder, not a gambler. I’ve already won. I lead with clarity, not chaos. I provide for my family, build wealth with intention, and move with purpose. I don’t chase the beast, I create my own game. I’m not trying to feel alive, I am alive. I know that gambling mindset helped me early on. It gave me momentum, liquidity, freedom. But now? It’s time to switch contexts. Memecoins may return. And when they do , we’ll know how to play. But for now, I’m focused on building. On documenting beauty in crypto through film and powerful stories. On becoming the best version of myself; in body, mind, and spirit. Not just surviving, but thriving. And doing it with joy. Because risk is good. But take the right ones.