If money were no object, where would you live? How would you live? How and with whom would you spend your days? Use this information to produce a plan for happiness.
Winning the lottery may seem like a pipe dream but leading the life you’d have if you won may not be.
The first principle in making anything come about is to know what you want. Most of us think we know what we’d do if we came into a lot of money but really we don’t have a clue beyond ‘pay off my mortgage’ and ‘go on holiday’. Fine, but then what? Think properly about what you’d do if money were no object. I once spoke to a London cabbie about this and I really agreed with what he said. ‘I don’t understand people who go back to their normal work place when they’ve won a lot of money,’ he said. ‘It shows a lack of imagination. I mean, if I had a lot of money, I’d be in the Med, painting on a beach.’ Like many of our fantastic cabbies, the man was a philosopher and he’d thought long and hard about what would make him happy. He knew because he’d already been for a short holiday to play out his millionaire lifestyle and so he knew what his ultimate goal was. I have no doubt that when he retires, you’ll find him on the Med, painting on a beach.
Wealth is not about money. Wealth is about how much you love life and lead it to the full. I noticed, during a time that I had very little money, that a free trip to the park was as exciting for my niece and nephew as the expensive outings I used to give them when I had money. It wasn’t the pricey shows they were craving, it was my time and attention. So don’t concentrate on the money when you think about what your perfect ‘lottery life’ would be like.
Most people have responsibilities that they’d take care of first like debts to be repaid and homes to buy. Then there’s the helping of less fortunate members of the family and of friends. Then there are the holidays and fun times. However, what you need to figure outis what you’d do after the initial excitement had worn down. Would you return to your usual job? If so, you’re very lucky as that means you do actually enjoy doing your job so much that you’d do it even if you didn’t have to. Would you set up your own business? Or would you not work and live off the interest? If so, where would you live? How would you spend your day? Write out an itinerary of your perfect day, post-winning the lottery. Do you live by a beach; would you go for an early morning beach run? Who would you meet for lunch? At which restaurant?
Daydreaming about a perfect life where money’s no object is an enjoyable way to learn about yourself and what it is that you want out of life. You may surprise yourself. You may think you’re a bit of a homebody but then you discover that you’d travel continuously if you could, in which case adventure is more important to you. Compare your choices with that of your spouse and see if you both agree. It can lead to some interesting discussions. In the case of one couple Iknow, it was such an exciting prospect that they sold their urban flat and moved to Cornwall to start living in the way they said they wanted to when thinking about their lottery lives. This idea can change your life, if you really put your heart and soul into it. You see, money isn’t always what’s holding you back, fear of taking a risk often is. Go wild and become one of life’s millionaires.
Here’s an idea for you…
Save up and visit a spa. A pampering visit to a place that smells nice and is geared toward your relaxation and enjoyment makes you feel like a million pounds sterling. If a spa isn’t your scene then perhaps a round of golf somewhere? The point is that if you save up you can sometimes enjoy the same pleasures as the very rich and that will make you realise that the experience and not the bank balance is what really matters.
Defining idea…
‘Be as you wish to seem.’
SOCRATES, Greek philosopher
How did it go?
Q How can I think clearly about what my life would be like if I haven’t any money to speak of? Isn’t it a futile exercise?
A No, that’s just negative thinking. If you have already decided that you’re never going to have your dreams come true so why bother dreaming at all, you’ve lost the battle before you’ve begun. Something that doesn’t have immediate results is not futile, it’s just that the usefulness is not on the surface but underneath in the sub-conscious bits of your mind. You’re planting a seed so feed it, nurture it and don’t drown it by raining heavily upon it before it’s had a chance to germinate.
Q I was doing this idea with my husband and it turns out our lottery lives are completely at odds — should I be worried?
A Only if you win the lottery. You shouldn’t be too worried as this is a thinking exercise, not a practical one so save the discussion for when you do actually have to decide on where to buy your home and how to live your life. Having differences in your lottery lives is only to be expected as you are individuals and won’t agree on everything. You should only start worrying when your values are at odds; for example, if he decides that he wouldn’t give a penny to help anyone else and you’d have family you’d want to help out. That is indicative of a possible difference in values.