The U.S. Powerball jackpot was up to a record $1.6 billion this week.

Since I’m on a “news fast” (BTW, it’s not really news… it’s fiction) the only reason I know about the Powerball is the gas pump screen told me last night.

I couldn’t care less.

I don’t like the lottery mindset.

It brainwashes people into thinking that money falls from the sky.

It doesn’t.

Money comes from creating value. The more value you create, the more money you make.

And plunking down a few bucks to buy a lotto ticket doesn’t create value. It only enriches the state. (As if they don’t already get enough by stealing.)

I view the lottery as a tax on the stupid. And the people choosing to pay it are the ones who can least afford it.

I’ve voiced those beliefs to the Colombiana.

A lot.

So imagine my surprise when I saw her at the lottery counter the other night when we were grocery shopping.

(For the record, we didn’t win. But I’d say that even if we did.)

There was quite a line of people waiting for their chance to win the $1.6 billion Powerball. So to kill some time while I waited for the Colombiana to piss away her cash, I started doing an informal survey.

I asked anybody who would listen the following question:

What would you do if you won the Powerball?

I was shocked with the answers.

Sure, a few people talked about buying private islands and fleets of Ferraris.

All of them said they would leave their jobs. No surprise there.

Here’s what DID surprise me:

A lot of them said they would help friends, family and/or charities.

And most of them said they would finally pursue their passions… writing, composing music, taking singing lessons, riding horses, playing golf, traveling, etc.

Here’s why this surprised me…

You don’t need $1.6 billion to do ANY of those things.

In fact, even if you only make minimum wage you could pursue your passion. In most cases it doesn’t take any money at all. Or very little.

You want to be a writer?

Grab a piece of paper and pen and write. BAM! You’re a
writer.

You want to help friends, family or charities?

Help them! You don’t need money for that.

You want to compose music?

Hum a tune and record it on your iPhone. There!  You’re a composer.

You want to travel?

You can get a bus ticket to almost anywhere in the states for $100 bucks or less.

Yes, it’s that simple.

How sad it is that so many people are putting off what they really want to do.

Until “someday.”

An undefined point in the future when some “anointing”…

…some “level” of success…

…or some arbitrary amount of money is accumulated.

When the truth is they could be doing it NOW.

All it takes is a decision to start taking action.

Consistently.

Sure, I like making money.

But I’ve engineered my life so I can make money (sometimes a LOT of it) while still being able to pursue my passions.

What’s even BETTER is this…

Make money with your passions.

Doing that makes life ROCK.

Putting off what you want to do until “someday” makes life suck.

In which camp do you fall?

If you’re in the “life sucks” camp but want to be in the “life rocks” camp, click here now.

All the best,
Doberman Dan

P.S. I hope you don’t have to go through a battle with cancer like I did until you finally realize how little time you have left to start living the life you want.

Just ask yourself this:

Am I living the life I imagined for myself when I was a child?

If not, click here to discover how to live the life you want.

Pax vobiscum.