Winning the lottery.

[iwasjustwondering]

I was at a work event last week, on a dinner cruise on a nice river.  A few of us were having a glass of wine on the upper deck, talking about how one of us, a guy we work with, is extremely lucky.  So we were jokingly saying we should all go in on a lottery ticket together, and have him buy it, since he's supposed to be so lucky. 

Then the lucky guy said something very interesting:  "When I think about my life, I've already won the lottery."  It was a really good point.  Here we were, being wined and dined and entertained by our company, having a nice time with colleagues, most of us with healthy happy families at home (one of my coworkers unfortunately can't say this about her family, as she has suffered a horrible tragedy).  But for me, so far, it's true.  I just checked my college savings and retirement calculators, and I'm on track to achieve all of my goals, knock wood.  Even if all doesn't go well for me professionally, I'm pretty sure I can figure it out, and I've hedged my bets in many ways, so I think I'll be OK.  It looks like I should be able to meet my commitments to my kids AND have some great trips and fun with them and with my friends and SO along the way.  What more could anyone possibly want?

I promised one of my coworkers that I would make Lucky Dude go buy the lottery tickets on Monday.  So I'll do that.  But I was just sitting here picturing what would happen if we won some insane amount of money, and it honestly seemed like it would be kind of a drag. 

[forummm]

I was just watching this and thinking about how rich and privileged I am. Just because of winning the ovarian lottery. I'm one of the richest few percent in the entire world. If I were born somewhere else my life could be completely different.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/retire-in-india-$200-000-own-residence-is-all-what-you-need-!!!/msg678451/#msg678451

[big_slacker]

I also feel like I won the lottery. Had a loving family growing up, got to live a ridiculous life in my 20's and 30's, met and married a beautiful and awesome woman, have two healthy kids, a great job. Truly any of my problems are 'first world problems'. Life is good!

[dude]

I tell the people I work with all the time that they've won the lottery -- and I mean it quite literally.  In my line of work, a 20-25 year career (depending on your starting age) will net you from one to several millions of dollars in lifetime benefits (pension + retiree health care).  It's like holding a winning ticket that you redeem 20-25 years after the drawing.

[patrickza]

That guys attitude is likely the exact reason everyone thinks he's lucky.

[BBub]

That guys attitude is likely the exact reason everyone thinks he's lucky.

+1

[druth]

That guys attitude is likely the exact reason everyone thinks he's lucky.

Very true.  One of my favorite studies shows that people that consider themselves lucky are simply better at watching for opportunities, and looking at the bright side after the fact.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky-its-an-easy-skill-to-learn.html

The unlucky person breaks their leg and says "what bad luck!" The lucky person breaks their leg and says "It was very lucky I broke my leg, I am still friends with one of the nurses I met and I got to take a week off of work!"

[arebelspy]

I won SO MANY lotteries.

Where I was born.  Who my parents were.  My various aptitudes and attitudes.

Meeting my wife was a huge lottery win.

I've * things up royally many times, yet still am in an amazing position in life, and I'm so grateful for that.  So many winnings, repeatedly.

[Insanity]

Fell asleep at the wheel, had my small intestines burst (and held off going to the hospital because I was picking up my wife at a train - yes, this was stupid and not tough). The career choices I have made.

I figure those breaks mean I will never win the lottery.

[Retire-Canada]

But I was just sitting here picturing what would happen if we won some insane amount of money, and it honestly seemed like it would be kind of a drag.

That sounds silly.

Collect money. Invest it. Hire an accountant to file the tax returns for you. Took a day of your life. Hardly a drag.

If you really want you can go back to work on day #2 and live as before.

Personally I'd quite my job and start gifting money to friends and family until I had a safe FIRE amount left and the people I cared about had their goals facilitated.

[iknowiyam]

I won the spouse lottery.

[Rural]

I won the spouse lottery.

Yeah, me, too.


Took me a while to appreciate them, but I won the birth family lottery, too. Exactly zero drama and we all like each other, seems so unfashionable these days.


Won the job lottery, too, or near enough. It's all good.

[iwasjustwondering]

But I was just sitting here picturing what would happen if we won some insane amount of money, and it honestly seemed like it would be kind of a drag.

That sounds silly.

Collect money. Invest it. Hire an accountant to file the tax returns for you. Took a day of your life. Hardly a drag.

If you really want you can go back to work on day #2 and live as before.

Personally I'd quite my job and start gifting money to friends and family until I had a safe FIRE amount left and the people I cared about had their goals facilitated.

Yeah, you're right.  It would be fun to help my friends and family.  I guess it would also feel like a letdown, like I was thisclose to solving a giant puzzle, and the. Someone else came along and finished it while I was in the loo.

[couponvan]

We literally have friends who won the lottery to the tune of $9MM after tax cash value. Why I love them?? They still worked at jobs they love (PT), they didn't buy AC for their house, they only spend what they used to earn, and they don't have a cleaner. So glad they kept it "real" and don't lord it over the rest of us.  If I won the lottery I hope we wouldn't do anything differently.  That's the MMM goal really - that you have enough money to do what makes you happy, and it doesn't take millions upon millions to achieve happiness. It takes understanding the difference between needs and wants.

 

[Dicey]

I won SO MANY lotteries.

Where I was born.  Who my parents were.  My various aptitudes and attitudes.

Meeting my wife was a huge lottery win.

I've * things up royally many times, yet still am in an amazing position in life, and I'm so grateful for that.  So many winnings, repeatedly.

Nice!

[2lazy2retire]

I won SO MANY lotteries.

Where I was born.  Who my parents were.  My various aptitudes and attitudes.

Meeting my wife was a huge lottery win.

I've * things up royally many times, yet still am in an amazing position in life, and I'm so grateful for that.  So many winnings, repeatedly.

Nice!

Who thinks that for the most part life is a lottery and the people we judge for their choices just have not been given the winning ticket

[Caoineag]

Oh I definitely won the lottery multiple times over when it comes to my life. The two big ones were intelligence and spouse. I have seen too many people struggle with things that are as easy as breathing for me to think that everyone can reason as well as me. And my spouse, how the heck did that happen? I have got to be one of the more difficult females to deal with and I don't tolerate drama and he is perfect for me. I actually reflect on my blessings at least weekly. I am well aware that there are huge differences between where I have been and where I am now.

[arebelspy]

Who thinks that for the most part life is a lottery and the people we judge for their choices just have not been given the winning ticket

Of course someone would make this political.  :)

It's a way to appreciate what we have. To realize how privileged we are being born in the society we are, as opposed to being born 100 years ago, or being born in certain parts of the world today. No one said hard work is not important, or that people need a "winning ticket" to do well.

But those of us that are well-off can recognize that we have also had a lot of lucky breaks along the way, often starting with before our birth.