Why did Columbus take three ships?

When William “Bud” Post won $16.2 million dollars in the Pennsylvania lottery, he had less than $3 in his checking account. It was life changing, but maybe not in the way you would think.

He got hit with lawsuits. Oh, and his brother tried to hire a hit man to try to get an inheritance. Within a year, Post was a million dollars in debt and went to jail for firing a weapon near a bill collector.

Did winning the lottery fix his life? “I wish it never happened. It was totally a nightmare.” — Bud Post in Business Insider

One of my mentors, Lon Lee, once asked us this question:

Q: Why did Columbus take three ships?
A: In case the earth really was flat and the first two fell off.

It was meant for a laugh, but the underlying message hit all of us: always have multiple options — in business and in life. If you just place all your hopes in that one ship, you might not make it.

We’re all looking for the magic solution to our problems that will make things better. We’re just one thing away from a perfect life.

• “If I just made more money…”
• “If I just got my college degree…”