What Will I Do, Now that I’ve Won the Lottery?
I don’t normally play the lottery, but with the jackpot this big, I was tempted. I’ve heard Joe Kernan at CNBC refer to the lottery as a tax on the stupid because the odds are so horrifically against you. I get it, but at the same time, someone has to win and it may as well be me. I’m visualizing my success right now and it looks pretty amazing! Don’t bother even buying a ticket because I have this one in the bag!
So now that I’m a multi-millionaire (or will be very shortly), what will I do with all that money? Before I jump into my collection of houses, cars and yachts, I want you to go ahead and visualize yourself winning the big jackpot. What would you do if money were no longer an issue?
A year ago my answer would have been very different than it is today. Back then my priorities would have been:
· Quit my job!
· Put money aside for the kids college
· Set up investments for retirement
· Give money to friends and family
· Be charitable and support worthy causes
· Buy a few toys and take a few trips…I’m only human
I’m guessing that a lot of people have a list that’s fairly similar. There are differences of course, but these are fairly common themes. There’s nothing wrong with doing these things with a massive windfall of cash, but the insight lies in what’s not on the list as opposed to what is.
My definition of success is to live a life in pursuit of my purpose, maximizing my potential and creating massive value for others. If you look at this definition, having a lot of money wouldn’t move the needle unless I used it to assist me in these three areas of life.
I could have hundreds of millions of dollars and be no more successful than I was the day before! My circumstances would certainly be different after winning. Instead of worrying about bills, college for my kids and retirement, I’d have to deal with tax people, lawyers, estate planners and an endless stream of people looking to tap into my new found wealth. Problems never really go away, they just change form.
A year ago I wasn’t thinking about using the cash to accelerate my progress on an exciting project or business I was working on. I didn’t see the money as a tool to propel me in the pursuit of my purpose. I wasn’t thinking about how I could use the wealth to create the freedom needed to commit to maximizing my potential. I didn’t see the lottery winnings as a resource to be used to create value for others.
Today, my answer would be very aligned with my definition of success because I’m consciously engaged in pursuing my success. Before, I was going to work, paying bills, saving money and trying to have fun if there was any time left. The bulk of my day was dedicated to activities that did not help me progress toward success.
So come Monday morning as I stare at all those big numbers in my bank account, I’ll have a very different plan for the future.
· Keep working on the book that I’m writing on pursuing success
· Continue working to build my website and app that will reinforce the concepts in the book
· Keep blogging and building an audience to support the launch of the book and web site
· Continue to use the principles to coach, mentor and consult individuals and businesses to achieve success
In short, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing today, just with more resources at my disposal. Instead of using the money to run away from the problems I’m battling, I’ll use it to run faster toward the purpose I’m pursuing. What a difference a year makes!
So if you win the big jackpot this weekend, will you have something purposeful to run toward?
Chris Slotten is a senior executive, leadership and organization expert, thought leader, business coach and consultant, with more than 25 years of experience in helping a wide variety of companies to achieve outstanding results. View additional articles from Chris at: www.chrisslotten.com
Follow on Twitter @Chris_Slotten
