Would a lottery win massively improve/impact your life?
Discussion
GT03ROB said:
Of course it would for many people, for some though it would probably do more harm than good. I'd like to think for me it would make an improvement & would certainly bring forward a retirement.
Having nice things in itself is rather pointless however gained, being able to do things with the nice things is where the pleasure should come.
Holidays & travel are 2 different things. More holidays to sit on a beach sipping cocktails is rather pointless. Travelling to new places & gaining experiences rather less so.
Much to the contrary, I have plenty of imagination, I have just learned that money does not bring happiness and winning the lottery won't make your life better, but it risks making it worse.MikeM6 said:
I have no interest in winning millions, as I am certain it would not make me happy and likely do the opposite.
Winning money means you haven't earned it and so the pride and satisfaction that comes with having nice things isn't there. All you are left with is the 'pleasure' of having things that others can't have, which I don't get, as the things themselves would not satisfy for long.
You could give up work and not worry about things, but there are only so many holidays you can go on before that no longer satisfies.
You could give it all away I suppose. That would be a good thing to do, but how many really would and not then later regret it? Might as well have not won it in the first place?
Like all gambling, the lottery is a mugs game and I think anybody playing it should be very careful of what they wish for.
I think this is a very sad view of life and shows a lack of imagination.Winning money means you haven't earned it and so the pride and satisfaction that comes with having nice things isn't there. All you are left with is the 'pleasure' of having things that others can't have, which I don't get, as the things themselves would not satisfy for long.
You could give up work and not worry about things, but there are only so many holidays you can go on before that no longer satisfies.
You could give it all away I suppose. That would be a good thing to do, but how many really would and not then later regret it? Might as well have not won it in the first place?
Like all gambling, the lottery is a mugs game and I think anybody playing it should be very careful of what they wish for.
Having nice things in itself is rather pointless however gained, being able to do things with the nice things is where the pleasure should come.
Holidays & travel are 2 different things. More holidays to sit on a beach sipping cocktails is rather pointless. Travelling to new places & gaining experiences rather less so.
Life is what you put into it, winning the lottery would be a shortcut to not needing to out anything in.
The sorts of people who play the lottery are exactly the sorts of people who would find themselves in a pile of s
t, in short order, if they won a significant amount ( generally speaking). Of course it’s risky to generalise, but history shows us it’s very much the case. The sort of council house trash bat that pins all their hopes and aspirations on a winning gamble, are never going to fair well in the world of established ‘old money’. They will never be accepted, they will fall prey to the vultures, have a nervous breakdown, and end up ruing the day they ever got landed with so much disposable income. That’s just the way it is.
t, in short order, if they won a significant amount ( generally speaking). Of course it’s risky to generalise, but history shows us it’s very much the case. The sort of council house trash bat that pins all their hopes and aspirations on a winning gamble, are never going to fair well in the world of established ‘old money’. They will never be accepted, they will fall prey to the vultures, have a nervous breakdown, and end up ruing the day they ever got landed with so much disposable income. That’s just the way it is.Maximus_Meridius101 said:
The sorts of people who play the lottery are exactly the sorts of people who would find themselves in a pile of st, in short order, if they won a significant amount ( generally speaking). Of course it’s risky to generalise, but history shows us it’s very much the case. The sort of council house trash bat that pins all their hopes and aspirations on a winning gamble, are never going to fair well in the world of established ‘old money’. They will never be accepted, they will fall prey to the vultures, have a nervous breakdown, and end up ruing the day they ever got landed with so much disposable income. That’s just the way it is.
I'd still like the chance to try t, in short order, if they won a significant amount ( generally speaking). Of course it’s risky to generalise, but history shows us it’s very much the case. The sort of council house trash bat that pins all their hopes and aspirations on a winning gamble, are never going to fair well in the world of established ‘old money’. They will never be accepted, they will fall prey to the vultures, have a nervous breakdown, and end up ruing the day they ever got landed with so much disposable income. That’s just the way it is.
MikeM6 said:
GT03ROB said:
Of course it would for many people, for some though it would probably do more harm than good. I'd like to think for me it would make an improvement & would certainly bring forward a retirement.
Having nice things in itself is rather pointless however gained, being able to do things with the nice things is where the pleasure should come.
Holidays & travel are 2 different things. More holidays to sit on a beach sipping cocktails is rather pointless. Travelling to new places & gaining experiences rather less so.
Much to the contrary, I have plenty of imagination, I have just learned that money does not bring happiness and winning the lottery won't make your life better, but it risks making it worse.MikeM6 said:
I have no interest in winning millions, as I am certain it would not make me happy and likely do the opposite.
Winning money means you haven't earned it and so the pride and satisfaction that comes with having nice things isn't there. All you are left with is the 'pleasure' of having things that others can't have, which I don't get, as the things themselves would not satisfy for long.
You could give up work and not worry about things, but there are only so many holidays you can go on before that no longer satisfies.
You could give it all away I suppose. That would be a good thing to do, but how many really would and not then later regret it? Might as well have not won it in the first place?
Like all gambling, the lottery is a mugs game and I think anybody playing it should be very careful of what they wish for.
I think this is a very sad view of life and shows a lack of imagination.Winning money means you haven't earned it and so the pride and satisfaction that comes with having nice things isn't there. All you are left with is the 'pleasure' of having things that others can't have, which I don't get, as the things themselves would not satisfy for long.
You could give up work and not worry about things, but there are only so many holidays you can go on before that no longer satisfies.
You could give it all away I suppose. That would be a good thing to do, but how many really would and not then later regret it? Might as well have not won it in the first place?
Like all gambling, the lottery is a mugs game and I think anybody playing it should be very careful of what they wish for.
Having nice things in itself is rather pointless however gained, being able to do things with the nice things is where the pleasure should come.
Holidays & travel are 2 different things. More holidays to sit on a beach sipping cocktails is rather pointless. Travelling to new places & gaining experiences rather less so.
Life is what you put into it, winning the lottery would be a shortcut to not needing to out anything in.
Money absolutely does not bring happiness directly. There are many people who lack the imagination or knowledge to take on board what money can do. They just do the same or more of what they did before only at more expense. Then are surprised that actually it doesn't make much difference. For example just buying more cars or more expensive cars is not changing anything. Taking more holidays or flying first class everywhere is not really changing anything.
It can however buy you the chance to do something different. If you really don't want to do anything different then yes all the tea in china isn't going to change your lot much! Many people are very insular, with a small town mentality. Many of the people that play the lottery are probably in this category. They really would do the same as they do now, just at higher cost.
GT03ROB said:
We agree to some extent, but if you feel that you could not make your life better, then I would challenge you assertion that you have imagination. You really cannot see any way you could make your life better?
Could you give us some concrete examples?The OP does sound a bit flat, but I agree the money doesn’t change your life massively if you already had a decent standard of living before it arrived. I already had all the house, car, holidays, restaurants, hobbies I really needed on a professional salary.
Travel is the main thing which would step up my life experience, but it’s massively constrained by school aged kids.
Winning a couple of million on a Saturday night lottery would have a big impact personally.
I wouldnt be giving up work on it at all but the thought of being able to live mortgage free in a nice 4 bed detached house which I could buy comfortably for probably 500k in my area for something really well done out would be a fairly big impact.
The rest of it would probably sit in the bank as I wouldnt be going crazy buying super cars with that kind of win.
Winning the Euromillions jackpot would be a different story....
I wouldnt be giving up work on it at all but the thought of being able to live mortgage free in a nice 4 bed detached house which I could buy comfortably for probably 500k in my area for something really well done out would be a fairly big impact.
The rest of it would probably sit in the bank as I wouldnt be going crazy buying super cars with that kind of win.
Winning the Euromillions jackpot would be a different story....
A couple of hundred grand would transform my life, and my family's too. I could leave work, move to a cheaper area, and start up a business with that. Arguably 100k could do it. Hell, 30 grand could get me going; at present there's nothing left at the end of the month to put into the business idea so 30 grand is the stuff dreams are made of.
A few mil? Yes, that would massively improve life. But at odds of 45 million to one, I'm better saving the ticket money.
A few mil? Yes, that would massively improve life. But at odds of 45 million to one, I'm better saving the ticket money.
less than 1 billion Europeans have more wealth combined than, China ,India
,Latin America, Africa..
Stuff like having 100k usd in assets makes you richer than 90% of the worlds population, 4 odd billion people, really makes you think how privileged we are with so little in the first place.
,Latin America, Africa..
Stuff like having 100k usd in assets makes you richer than 90% of the worlds population, 4 odd billion people, really makes you think how privileged we are with so little in the first place.
GT03ROB said:
We agree to some extent, but if you feel that you could not make your life better, then I would challenge you assertion that you have imagination. You really cannot see any way you could make your life better?
Money absolutely does not bring happiness directly. There are many people who lack the imagination or knowledge to take on board what money can do. They just do the same or more of what they did before only at more expense. Then are surprised that actually it doesn't make much difference. For example just buying more cars or more expensive cars is not changing anything. Taking more holidays or flying first class everywhere is not really changing anything.
It can however buy you the chance to do something different. If you really don't want to do anything different then yes all the tea in china isn't going to change your lot much! Many people are very insular, with a small town mentality. Many of the people that play the lottery are probably in this category. They really would do the same as they do now, just at higher cost.
I get what you are saying, but it doesn't follow for me. My enjoyment in life comes from the satisfaction of achieving, be that professionally or personally. I am at my best and happiest when I am creative in solving problems, and excessive resources often reduces to the need for that.Money absolutely does not bring happiness directly. There are many people who lack the imagination or knowledge to take on board what money can do. They just do the same or more of what they did before only at more expense. Then are surprised that actually it doesn't make much difference. For example just buying more cars or more expensive cars is not changing anything. Taking more holidays or flying first class everywhere is not really changing anything.
It can however buy you the chance to do something different. If you really don't want to do anything different then yes all the tea in china isn't going to change your lot much! Many people are very insular, with a small town mentality. Many of the people that play the lottery are probably in this category. They really would do the same as they do now, just at higher cost.
An example for me is when I decided I needed a new office chair. If money was no longer a factor, I would have researched and bought the best one. It would have been great, but I would have quickly become used to it. It would just be a valueless thing. But I'd didn't have thousands to sink into a chari and I didn't want to spend hundreds, so I thought about it, researched options and built my own from a car seat I bought off eBay. Every time I sit in it I enjoy it, knowing it's my own work. Just for a chair.
You may say it's not just about buying things and material items, it's about doing things and experiences. I love a holiday, mainly as it is an escape and I have really earned it. As soon as it becomes normal to be jetting off everywhere, it looses its appeal. Yes I could go travelling, but again that would only satisfy for so long.
I have learned to become satisfied with what I have and what I can achieve, because I achieve it. Throwing someone else's money at me will just give me the option to become lazy and I fear that temptation may be too great.
For reasons I can't even remember I ended up googling Joceline Wildenstein yesterday. She is a society lady with a fondness for cosmetic surgery which I'm sure most would consider to have been ill-judged.
Anyway, she divorced the husband in 1999 and had a settlement of $1.5b, plus $100m a year for the next 13 years. The biggest ever. I understand she's now filed for bankruptcy. I simply cannot fathom how someone can spend that much money over such a sort time and have pretty much nothing to show for it other than a handful of properties which are said to be worth several million, but in the grand scheme, a drip in the ocean of money she had.
I guess a big lottery win takes a lot of self discipline to manage and you should take some proper advice as for many you quickly become a target for every charlatan out there who will strip you bare in no time. Being a "millionaire" in the 1960's was probably a big deal. Today, £1m buys you maybe 5 years of good times but certainly not life changing if you are under 65-70 and in reasonably good health and of sound mind to want to enjoy it.
Anyway, she divorced the husband in 1999 and had a settlement of $1.5b, plus $100m a year for the next 13 years. The biggest ever. I understand she's now filed for bankruptcy. I simply cannot fathom how someone can spend that much money over such a sort time and have pretty much nothing to show for it other than a handful of properties which are said to be worth several million, but in the grand scheme, a drip in the ocean of money she had.
I guess a big lottery win takes a lot of self discipline to manage and you should take some proper advice as for many you quickly become a target for every charlatan out there who will strip you bare in no time. Being a "millionaire" in the 1960's was probably a big deal. Today, £1m buys you maybe 5 years of good times but certainly not life changing if you are under 65-70 and in reasonably good health and of sound mind to want to enjoy it.
Depends on age and value of winnings really, if I expect to gross £1m in salary between now and retirement, and win >£1m tomorrow, I quit work, buy a nicer house outright, a few Goodwood-eligible cars for historic racing and take a part time job in the third sector doing something a little more beneficial to society...
If I win £1m-10m, I do all the above but with a bigger house and more expensive cars.
I if win £10m+, I’d like to do start buying lots of woodland to set up natural retreats for kids... who will mostly likely be unappreciative and moan about the lack of KFC and WiFi.....
If I win £1m-10m, I do all the above but with a bigger house and more expensive cars.
I if win £10m+, I’d like to do start buying lots of woodland to set up natural retreats for kids... who will mostly likely be unappreciative and moan about the lack of KFC and WiFi.....
Depends whether you feel that if you win the lottery you need to blow it.
I could easily pay off the mortgage and live off the rest whiile still topping up my pension til retirement age - I'm 48 now, 20 years to go - as long as I maintained the current lifestyle, which isn't uncomfortable.
As I said above it would certainly mean I could leave work and do my own thing, and doing my own thing would make me money even if not as much as I currently earn.
Yes if I decided that I had to throw loads of it at friends, parties, houses, expensive cars, travel etc it would disappear.
I could easily pay off the mortgage and live off the rest whiile still topping up my pension til retirement age - I'm 48 now, 20 years to go - as long as I maintained the current lifestyle, which isn't uncomfortable.
As I said above it would certainly mean I could leave work and do my own thing, and doing my own thing would make me money even if not as much as I currently earn.
Yes if I decided that I had to throw loads of it at friends, parties, houses, expensive cars, travel etc it would disappear.
MikeM6 said:
I have no interest in winning millions, as I am certain it would not make me happy and likely do the opposite.
Winning money means you haven't earned it and so the pride and satisfaction that comes with having nice things isn't there. All you are left with is the 'pleasure' of having things that others can't have, which I don't get, as the things themselves would not satisfy for long.
You could give up work and not worry about things, but there are only so many holidays you can go on before that no longer satisfies.
You could give it all away I suppose. That would be a good thing to do, but how many really would and not then later regret it? Might as well have not won it in the first place?
Like all gambling, the lottery is a mugs game and I think anybody playing it should be very careful of what they wish for.
Lot of sympathy with this view. If the lottery gives you cash and toys but takes away much of the purpose, structure, drive, discipline and sense of genuine achievement from life, then you're better off without it. Every conversation with people of your wealth level you'd be on the back foot knowing you hadn't done anything to earn it or truly belong. It could also bring out the worst traits in family and friends.Winning money means you haven't earned it and so the pride and satisfaction that comes with having nice things isn't there. All you are left with is the 'pleasure' of having things that others can't have, which I don't get, as the things themselves would not satisfy for long.
You could give up work and not worry about things, but there are only so many holidays you can go on before that no longer satisfies.
You could give it all away I suppose. That would be a good thing to do, but how many really would and not then later regret it? Might as well have not won it in the first place?
Like all gambling, the lottery is a mugs game and I think anybody playing it should be very careful of what they wish for.
But I think you undersell the merits of giving it all (or almost all) away. Don't just write one big cheque and walk away, but really get involved in charities and figure out what you care about, what makes a difference to peoples' lives, put your own stamp (but not your nameplate) on your giving. I think that could be incredibly rewarding.
A win of a good few million would mean I'd upgrade my Colombian marching powder and rent escorts instead of hookers.
Not married anymore, no kids, so no reason to bother about planning for someone else's future. That said, there'd be donations made to cancer research charities to keep on with their work. Not really sure what else I'd be interested in doing, maybe a different house on a bigger plot but I've got no real goals.
I'd maybe find some overpriced shrink to try to work out why I have no goals or proper purpose lol. Although that means digging into my head, not sure there'd be enough funds to sort that st out...
Not married anymore, no kids, so no reason to bother about planning for someone else's future. That said, there'd be donations made to cancer research charities to keep on with their work. Not really sure what else I'd be interested in doing, maybe a different house on a bigger plot but I've got no real goals.
I'd maybe find some overpriced shrink to try to work out why I have no goals or proper purpose lol. Although that means digging into my head, not sure there'd be enough funds to sort that s
t out...I'd be so bold to say it might be a pain in the arse.
I'm currently sitting on my narrowboat enjoying a stress free time with no worries about anything !
If I won a might buy her a new Beta 40 with twin alternators because I'm that kind of guy.
If I won loads it might stop me having a f*ckin cool life........
I'm currently sitting on my narrowboat enjoying a stress free time with no worries about anything !
If I won a might buy her a new Beta 40 with twin alternators because I'm that kind of guy.
If I won loads it might stop me having a f*ckin cool life........
MikeM6 said:
GT03ROB said:
We agree to some extent, but if you feel that you could not make your life better, then I would challenge you assertion that you have imagination. You really cannot see any way you could make your life better?
Money absolutely does not bring happiness directly. There are many people who lack the imagination or knowledge to take on board what money can do. They just do the same or more of what they did before only at more expense. Then are surprised that actually it doesn't make much difference. For example just buying more cars or more expensive cars is not changing anything. Taking more holidays or flying first class everywhere is not really changing anything.
It can however buy you the chance to do something different. If you really don't want to do anything different then yes all the tea in china isn't going to change your lot much! Many people are very insular, with a small town mentality. Many of the people that play the lottery are probably in this category. They really would do the same as they do now, just at higher cost.
I get what you are saying, but it doesn't follow for me. My enjoyment in life comes from the satisfaction of achieving, be that professionally or personally. I am at my best and happiest when I am creative in solving problems, and excessive resources often reduces to the need for that.Money absolutely does not bring happiness directly. There are many people who lack the imagination or knowledge to take on board what money can do. They just do the same or more of what they did before only at more expense. Then are surprised that actually it doesn't make much difference. For example just buying more cars or more expensive cars is not changing anything. Taking more holidays or flying first class everywhere is not really changing anything.
It can however buy you the chance to do something different. If you really don't want to do anything different then yes all the tea in china isn't going to change your lot much! Many people are very insular, with a small town mentality. Many of the people that play the lottery are probably in this category. They really would do the same as they do now, just at higher cost.
An example for me is when I decided I needed a new office chair. If money was no longer a factor, I would have researched and bought the best one. It would have been great, but I would have quickly become used to it. It would just be a valueless thing. But I'd didn't have thousands to sink into a chari and I didn't want to spend hundreds, so I thought about it, researched options and built my own from a car seat I bought off eBay. Every time I sit in it I enjoy it, knowing it's my own work. Just for a chair.
You may say it's not just about buying things and material items, it's about doing things and experiences. I love a holiday, mainly as it is an escape and I have really earned it. As soon as it becomes normal to be jetting off everywhere, it looses its appeal. Yes I could go travelling, but again that would only satisfy for so long.
I have learned to become satisfied with what I have and what I can achieve, because I achieve it. Throwing someone else's money at me will just give me the option to become lazy and I fear that temptation may be too great.
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