The Lottery in the USA has climbed to a record breaking and chokingly high level of $1.3 Billion. Yup, that’s Billion with a big B. Sales may see that number climb higher than $1.5 Billion before the draw on my birthday, January 13th. You can yap all you want about the odds of winning this outrageous amount of money. It doesn’t matter, it’s fun to dream about all the things you could do, have and the person you would be with all that cash!
As I’ve been thinking about what I would do, something weird kept happening. What kept coming to mind were the things that wouldn’t change. What wouldn’t change? What parts of my life wouldn’t change with all that money? The first thing that came to mind was I wouldn’t stop driving my motorcycle. I might buy a flashy car and I could hire someone to drive my lazy butt around but I wouldn’t hire someone to drive my motorcycle while I sat on the back. It kind of ruins the experience. It also would ruin my skill of riding if I didn’t practice it. And if I’m sitting on the back, my husband’s driving. That wouldn’t change. We are motorcycle riders. That doesn’t change no matter how much money we have.
What else wouldn’t change? While my brain worked on that question, I realized everything that wouldn’t change falls into 3 categories.
Self-discipline
Another thing that wouldn’t change would be my morning runs through the park. I can’t hire somebody to go running for me. I can get a personal trainer but ultimately it’s me who has to do the work. I have to do the sit ups, the squats, the runs, or the yoga. Which is related to another thing which is my diet. I could afford to eat as much of anything I wanted with a billion dollars. I could hire chefs to make chunky, fudgy ice cream and cook wagyu steaks and the largest crabs and lobsters in the world. But I don’t eat that stuff now. Just because I can afford it, doesn’t mean I’ll do it. I can have a private chef but I want to eat what I eat now- vegetables. I could drink the best champagne in the world every day and trust me there would be a HUGE temptation to do so. But how would that effect my health? The only one responsible for my health is me. The only person who can be proactive about keeping myself healthy with a good solid diet is me. I could hire a team of the best doctors in the world to fix me if I was eating all sorts of crap food. But what’s the point? It’s too late when you already have the disease. You’re already sick! Is it easier to do the hard work after you get sick and you feel like crap or before you get sick when you feel energized and alive? Being reactive about your health and fitness only gets you to the grave faster and makes your doctor wealthier. That’s not my plan.
My husband can buy his Fender Stratocaster guitar with a massive amp & hire the best coach in the world but without practice, he won’t get past Mary Had A Little Lamb. No one can do that work for him.
And assuming I would move, I would want to move to a place that was very close to a park. My environment is crucial! Not only do I need a park, I need one with hills. I need to have built-in challenges in my park. I don’t want to just walk along a flat pathway and not be challenged. I want a place to stretch myself out of my comfort zone. I need hills to do that.
Something else that wouldn’t change would be my manners. I’d still say please, thank you and bless you when someone sneezed. I would still open doors for my mother and show respect to my parents. No one can replace me being kind to others. It’s something I have to do myself.
No one can replace your own self-discipline no matter how much money you have.
Self-confidence
Another area that wouldn’t change would be my own personal growth. Like I mentioned before, I need hills in my life to challenge my fitness. I also need experiences that are uncomfortable, painful, or stressful because those build my character. The stretch zone allows me to overcome the obstacles in life and build on my self-confidence. No one can build my confidence for me. That’s my job. I can hire people to help me solve problems and do my work but what’s the point if I stop learning? Even my husband doesn’t want to stop working when we win the lottery. He has his own goals to meet in the work he does. He might be traveling 1st class to do that work but he still wants to finish what he’s started.
Connecting with Others
This is the last area that wouldn’t change. My personal assistant could remember everyone’s birthdays and arrange gift and flowers to be sent. But no one else is giving my husband a 20 second hug before he goes to work in the morning. No one is going to reminisce about the old times with my friends or go head to head with my father in a rousing debate. No one else can tell my friends and family how much I love them and care about them. No one else can do it the way they know me to do it.
Fergie says it best in her song Glamorous- “After the show or after the Grammys I like to go cool out with the family. Sippin’, reminiscing on days when I had a Mustang.” No one replaces her no matter how much money she has.
Self-discipline, self-confidence & my ability to connect with others. Those are my core values. They won’t change, even when, as a universal birthday present, I win that lottery!! G L A M O R O U S, the glamorous, glamorous life.
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