Wise Bread Picks
What would you do if you won the Lottery?
That's a great question. One that we've ALL fantasized about at least once and probably have let our imaginations go wild in at least one conversation with friends or family. I'm not talking about scratch and win lotto tickets here. I'm talking about the big kahuna.
I'm talking about the SUPER MEGA GIGANTIC POWER BALL EXTRAVAGANZA!
You're probably in the stark minority if you haven't at least played that game once. After all, it's completely justified! You could, no, you should be that 1-in-500,000,000 because you've worked hard your whole life and nobody deserves it like you do — so what's another dollar, or two, or five?
Let's get back to that dream for a second...
The Lottery Dream Fantasy
When we have our lottery fantasies, the conversation often revolves around what we would buy. It might look something like this:
- My custom dream house
- A Ferrari and a pimped out Escalade
- That sailboat that I've always wanted
- A butler (is Mr. Belvedere looking for work?)
And if we fear we're starting to look a little self-centered in our discussion, we might throw in a few things like...
- A college education for all of my grandchildren
- A new house for my parents
- I'd give a big chunk of it to charity
The Financial Freedom Dream
In a lot of cases, the dream simply boils down to:
- I'd do nothing
- I'd pay off my debts
- I'd live off the interest
- And I would never have to work for anyone else again
On the surface, that sounds great, right? Then why do so many retirees who could comfortably live off their pension or other retirement savings choose to keep on working? They've earned their Lottery ticket, damn it!! Be lazy and go enjoy the precious little time you have left!! (See also: The 10-Step Staircase to a Comfortable Retirement)
They keep working because they like what they do, or they like what it does for them. They might get paid, they might not — but they are still active and productive members of society. They are not sitting in their gated mansion in a dark room counting their dollars.
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The Lottery Trick
The reason many of us get suckered into the Lottery fantasy and buying those tickets is because we've bought into the dream. But can all that money and the resulting "stuff" that you buy really bring you the happiness that you're hoping for? Probably not. Countless studies have show that those who are rich are not any happier then those with lesser means, so we should know by now that the "stuff" will not buy us happiness.
And we should also know by now that those who can afford not to work for others and end up doing nothing with themselves usually end up being miserable as well.
But financial freedom and the choice to actively do what we want with our lives? Sign me up for that.
Here's the thing. You don't need a lottery ticket to buy you that. You need to adapt to a lifestyle that will permit that. A lifestyle that results in your making more money than you are spending (and hopefully putting a little bit away for later in life when you aren't physically or mentally able to continue working). And the less you spend on lottery tickets and buying into that false hope, the more you can save and focus on buying your freedom.
5 things you can do today to start buying your ticket
Admittedly, these are as simple as they can be, by design. Realistic goals that we all can accomplish with a little work.
- Make more than you spend.
- Pay off your debts.
- Spend your time doing what you enjoy doing and get paid for it if you need it.
- Be kind and helpful to others.
- Remember this: You only live once. So live that way.
Accomplish all five and it might just make those Lottery tickets a little less appealing.
