Is the “Lottery Win” Fantasy Getting in Your Way?

Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery and what you’d do with all the money? Even though I rarely play, when the pot gets big, I do love to fantasize about how I’d spend it.

I’d pay off all debt.
I’d give a hefty sum to each of my family members.
I’d make lots of wise investments.
I’d donate large amounts to animal charities.
I’d travel the world.

You know, the usual.

While it’s fun to imagine a big windfall coming my way, I’m not going to put off going for the gold by waiting for something magical to happen.

I think that’s a pretty common trait for beginner trailblazers — to doubt that they can fulfill big dreams unless something external changes their situation.

I posted a question to my Facebook community asking people to share a bit about their dream life. What does it look like? What does it include?

Here’s what some folks said:

“Freedom! Freedom to set my own schedule, visit with family and friends, relax (and exercise) more, and give of my time to others and causes I believe in.”

“Travel, travel, travel! See the mountain gorillas in Uganda, see the orangutans in Borneo, see tigers in India, and penguins and orcas in Antarctica, go to Madagascar, Mongolia, Easter Island…too many places to list. Given what I earn it’s going to be a challenge to make even one of these trips, but that’s my dream!”

“My two enormous, way out there dreams would be to either open something like The Omega Institute or start a year-round fun-land/non-traditional carnival type of venue. I’d love to bring jobs, entertainment, tourism, education (I’ll sneak it in), and that feeling of anything-can-happen wonder and magic to my hometown. Now to win the lottery and get started!”

Ah, there’s that lottery dream!

Here’s the thing, no matter how big or seemingly outrageous your goal is, it’s worth moving toward. You never know what’s in store for you as you do. When you put action behind a dream, the universe rallies in support, and while you may not fulfill the Big Dream, I promise you’ll be better and happier for having tried.

Take it from the brilliant Lucille Ball who said, “I’d rather regret the things I have done than the things that I haven’t.”

I know how tempting magic wand thinking is, but the reality is… no one is coming to save you. I know, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Actually, let me fix that — YOU are coming to save you! And there is no better person for the job.

Try this:

1. Write down your big dream. Name it to claim it! Don’t play small here. Go for the gold!
2. Next, on a separate piece of paper, get rid of any chatter that discounts your dream. You know, things like “There’s no way I can do that,” or “Who am I kidding?” or “I’ll never be able to afford that,” or the ever-so-popular “Who do you think you are?”
3. Now go back to your big dream page and brainstorm what would need to happen to make that a reality. Include goals, projects, tasks, mindset changes, and behavior changes. This is not meant to overwhelm you. Instead, it gets the juices flowing and starts pointing energy in the direction of your dream.
4. Next, choose one item off that brainstorm list and identify one teeny tiny small step you can take TODAY to move the needle.
5. Finally, DO IT! Take that step. Once you have, share any and all deets about your dream in the comments below. It’ll rev up the energy to share it publicly.

What are you waiting for? Get to it!