I won the Lottery!!
People are fascinated by the concept of winning the lottery.
“If I just won the lottery…” people say, and then launch into all the different things they would do. It’s fun to think about having all that money and getting to make all your own choices. It seems like it would be so freeing. And yet a lot of people that win don’t handle it well. They divorce, they spend all the money, they change who they are.
But, what if you did win the lottery? What would you do first? Would you be practical or wild? Would you tell everyone or keep it a secret?
I admit that I like to think about winning the lottery. I haven’t bought a ticket this year but I bought a few last year. So, since this is completely hypothetical, what would I do if I won?
This is how I would handle it (at least in my imagination). My husband and I would rejoice, smile, cry, hug, get busy…. Then we would contact a lawyer to understand the best way to protect the assets. Once we had a good grasp of what would really occur and how much money it actually would be, we would contact the lottery people (whoever they are).
I assume we would want to keep our win anonymous. Even if it doesn’t change you it can definitely change how others view you. I would quit my day job, which I really do like, but would give up for the opportunity to spend more of my time with my family. I like to think that I’d work out in the mornings since I wouldn’t be running off to work so early. Right now I always come up with some excuse not to work out – work, too tired, meetings, etc. I’d also like to think that I would cook nice dinners for the fam. Normally I don’t get home in time to do this and my husband cooks. He does a nice job but I would like to have the time to actually think through some meals and plan.
I would also like to travel. There are so many places in the US and beyond that we haven’t seen. The magnificence of this earth is overwhelming and it would be nice to experience different cultures and climates.
One of the big wins would be the freedom to write. Winning the lottery would take away the financial burden which requires me to work outside of the home and would give me more time to write.
Lastly, or maybe firstly, I would volunteer. Not just money but also time. There are so many wonderful causes that need time and attention. We already do a lot of volunteering but it would be nice to have more time to be involved.
What would you do if you won the lottery? Am I too tame/boring? Would you jet-set all over the world? Have huge elaborate parties? Move to Hollywood and hang with the celebrities?
