Are you someone who dreams about winning the lottery but actually never plays it? I used to be one of those people. I would sit and day dream about what I would do with all my winnings. I thought if I just wished hard enough I could win. We all know that the formula for winning the lottery would work better if I actually bought lottery tickets. My chances increase from zero to at least one in a trillion. I remember thinking that all that money would solve all my problems.

As I grew older, I started hearing that the majority of the big lottery winners ended up going bankrupt; in some cases, they are worse off than before they won. That scared me and ever since then I have been afraid of too much money. I know, what a weird thing to worry about. But like Notorious B.I.G. says, “Mo money, mo problems.”

I started to write a plan for “IF” I ever won the lottery. Having a written plan makes me feel better knowing that I have already allocated the money and therefore I can’t go spending wildly; quickly running out of money. Now, if and when I play the lottery, I feel great about the whole experience. To me, it’s as if I have laid down the foundation so whatever I build on top has a better chance of lasting.

On July 17th it’s National Lottery Day. I have to admit, when I looked up the information on Nationaldaycalendar.com, I was reminded why lotteries existed from the beginning. DUH! I was only thinking of the winners in the sense of cash prizes. But the real winners are those who benefit from all of the programs that the lotteries support. When I read thru the site, I was reminded that each state owns and operates their lotteries which then supports government programs and their communities. #win-win.

According to the research of nationaldaycalendar.com, one of the oldest lotteries can be traced back to Bruges, Belgium in 1441. Back in those centuries, the proceeds from the lotteries fed and clothed the poor in the villages and helped pay for defenses in war situations. Merchants would pay for the chance to win money prizes. “Often, the grand prizes included the tax farm on the wijnscrooderschap (wine transporters). These early Renaissance lotteries granted one grand prize winner the opportunity to own the tax farm. Their winnings also included quality control of the wine.” The research on nationaldaycalendar.com revealed that during the American Revolution, in the US, lotteries paid for cannons. Later in history, lotteries benefitted the East Coast by paving roads up and down the coast.

The very first National Lottery Day was celebrated in 2018. The goal for the day is to have special promotions provided by the lottery industry on July 17th for national consumer awareness. The Massachusetts State Lottery founded the national day because their lottery has been vital for unrestricted local aid in the Commonwealth since they sold their first ticket in 1972.

Thoughtful pinches for National Lottery Day are pretty simple: lottery tickets. Grab some tickets from the gas station or grocery store for someone who would get a kick out of an opportunity to win. Every year we give lottery tickets as pinches to the kids’ educators on St. Patrick’s Day and we wish them luck. We’ve had some lucky teachers win between two to twenty bucks off of a lottery ticket. Even if the teachers don’t win, their chances were better than not having a ticket at all. For a minimum of a $1 and an attitude of “you’ve got nothing to lose”, these pinches are always fun because of the possibilities. The chance to win something is always exciting. If you want to experience a deeper sense of joy, take this gesture a step further. Attach a note with the lottery ticket letting your “people” know where they would fit within your plans if you won the lottery. A heart-warmer for sure!

Pinches,

Barb