Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Jeff Goins of Goins Writer.
“We waste so many days waiting for the weekend. So many nights wanting morning. Our lust for future comfort is the biggest thief of life.” —Joshua Glenn Clark
There is this popular idea in our world today that the best thing to happen to you would be to win the lottery. Then, you could spend the remainder of your days on a beach somewhere, sipping cocktails and living the “good life.” But nothing could be further from the truth.
According to most studies, when you win the lottery, you are actually more prone to bankruptcy. One report said that 70% of lottery winners actually end up going broke in the first seven years. In fact, it seems the more money you win, the more likely you are to lose it all. So from a financial standpoint, winning the lottery just might be the worst thing to happen to you. But let’s not stop there.
We’ve all read the statistics about how getting rich doesn’t make you happy, but for some reason we need to find out for ourselves. Maybe winning the lottery for you, though, doesn’t look like buying a Powerball ticket. Maybe it means earning “passive income” or finding your dream job. At times we are all tempted to seek an escape.
When we envision the life we want, many of us treat work as the enemy, as an obligation to endure instead an adventure to embrace.
But what if the life you wanted was actually right in front of you?
After quitting my job and making the transition to become a full-time writer, I thought I had it made. Finally escaping the monotony of a day job, I could relax and enjoy life. But what I discovered was now that I didn’t have any reason to work, my sense of purpose disappeared. I became more confused than ever.
Around that time, I talked to my friend Stu who told me how he was able to find meaning in his work even while punching a clock for a paycheck. He told me about a trip he took to Africa where he saw how education could make a difference in the lives of people who weren’t born with the same opportunities he had. With his wife, Stu started a nonprofit to help build schools in rural Kenya. And when he returned from his trip, he went back to work with a renewed sense of purpose.
On a fundamental level, we all want to feel like what we do is a part of something bigger than us. And the truth is that can happen in any context, if you have the right mindset. What brought me out of my funk was not more leisure, but the realization that I needed to work. We all do. But it’s not just the work that fulfills us. It’s the way we work.
Acclaimed psychologist Viktor Frankl addresses this in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning. At a time when much of psychology said human motivation was about seeking pleasure, Frankl argued that what we really want is meaning. And the way we find it is not by numbing ourselves with substances or stuff but by doing something that matters.
For Frankl, this belief in the importance of meaning held tremendous personal significance. It is what had kept him alive while imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps during WWII. It was the book he was writing and the hope of seeing his wife that allowed him to endure.
When I quit my day job to chase my dream, I realized my life was not just about me. It couldn’t be. And if I went to work only for myself or in hopes of one day retiring so I could live the good life, then the work I did today would have no purpose. And honestly, I tried that. It didn’t work.
To paraphrase Frankl, we don’t want to be just happy. We want a reason to be happy.
The worst thing you could do with your life is waste it, believing the only reason you exist is to seek pleasure. (tweet that)
We all have a purpose, a task for which we were designed, and the goal of your life is to find it—not somewhere out there, but hidden in the life you’re already living.
And if you can embrace that truth, you’ve already won the lottery.
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Jeff Goins is a writer who lives just outside of Nashville with his wife, son, and border collie. His book, The Art of Work, is all about finding your calling in work and life.
Carla says
Personally I have never bought a lottery ticket so I’m never going to win. If I did win, I would use the money to pay off my house, make some investments and perhaps enjoy a holiday with my family. Paying off my mortgage would provide a lot of freedom to be far more picky about the work I do. I love minimalism but the reality of being married is that compromise is still important. While I would move to a rural area, reducing our mortgage and working as a writer online, my husband has a job in the city that he loves, so we can’t move somewhere cheaper right now. I’ve always thought that winning the lottery is fraught with danger for the majority of people.
Fiona Cee says
We have been playing lottery for years. Not heavily, just regularly.
We have never won ANYTHING above $100. It goes without saying that we’d be much richer had we not. The odds are not in our favour and probably never will be. But, you can’t win it if you’re not in it. And that sense of hope is just a tease in the face of reality!
We don’t want a lot. Just to pay off a small mortgage, have a little security in the bank, make the house look a little better. I’m pretty happy with what I have and don’t want a fancy car or anything like that. I would like to help animals in need however.
But anyway, it’s true, lottery is not the answer to happiness. What would make me most happy is to be able to click my fingers and say ”Clutter be gone” because THAT, friends, is what stands in the way of happiness for me. To be able to have space to lay out that jigsaw of the Eiffel Tower which is ALmost finished but for the sky, then get it laminated and then start on another one my beautiful niece gave us for Easter one year, instead of chocolate. I will never throw it out or give it away. Once a jigsaw is done, it
is to be kept intact and displayed. I won’t let myself add to the mess around by pulling it out. It will be my reward when I get the place to rights.
Chris says
Generally, i share your point of view, albeit we should remember that it is more complicated when it comes to people who live very poorly, have not very perspective work and the most important, they can’t change their situation (education, age, country of living, health etc.). Of course, winning a lottery wouldn’t be an answer to the sense of their life, but could make their life more comfortable. It could give them some calm, a sense of security. Then, it could be just easier for them to find a true meaning.
Thank you for an interesting article!
Fiona Cee says
I like this comment!
Trou says
Thank you for this wonderful read Jeff.
Jacqueline says
I think it is important that we all work, those that don,t usually are the most irresponsible and self centred, if we all worked it would mean we all contributed to where ever we live. The lottery is just not real is it, it gives so much false to hope to millions who quite frankly are deceived, and i would give more to this charity etc if i won is all rubbish,
once we have all our needs met, like a good education, clean warm home and are well fed, good health, good relationships etc what else do we really need, and no matter how many pairs of shoes you have, you can only wear one pair at a time, the grass is greener on the other side, money is necessary, but whats more important do we rule over money or does money rule over us,
impossible to get a true message across on every aspect of this subject in such a short blog, but most intelligent people can get the meaning of whats been said, excellent reminder thank you love Jacqueline
Caitlin says
Jeff, not having to wait till March to read your book is like Christmas coming early, haha. Finding my calling is definitely a road I am looking forward to going down and I am beyond excited for this book to be delivered to my doorstep. It has been in my “book jar” since the moment I stumbled upon it on Pinterest. And when I saw it again (recommended by JB no less!) I knew I had to order it.
Joshua, my friend recommended your blog to me months ago and as an understatment, it has changed my life. I’ve never been one to comment on anything but I know how much a genuine compliment can mean to someone and on behalf of us silent readers, you do more than you could ever imagine. I love that you are able to reach and help so many people. Your writings are a gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Did I say thank you?
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
Couldn’t agree more with you Jeff. I think the fundamental problem of lust and greed cannot be satisfied in the long-term even when satisfied in the short-term. In fact, sometimes I feel that feeding that desire for more fuels it rather than alleviates it.
I also agree that living a purposeful and intentional life is not about having no work to do, but about doing work that matters. I feel blessed to wake up every day and know that the world will be just a bit changed for the better when I come home at night.
Attila says
http://www.gitadaily.com/wp-content/images/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-02-Text-70.jpg
Tony W says
One person’s lottery ticket in another person’s Las Vegas vacation. LOL.
It’s not winning the lottery that is harmful. It’s the mindset of the winner that can be harmful. Some people win the genetic Lottery (athletics, IQ, singer, dancer, born into money …) and are so unhappy. Be thankful for what you have.
Jeff Goins says
Interesting perspective, Tony. I like it.
Thencasti says
I am a big fan of your work and am very interested in embracing minimalism in all areas of my life. This article sounds right. And I agree. However it seem extremely vague or contradictory. Yesterday I watched an interview on tv (Sunday Morning) of Kelly Clarkson, about her life and how she made it since American Idol etc. Anyway, she came from a humble background living poor in Texas and now she lives in a beautiful mansion in Tennessee etc…She said something that made me think. When asked about her happiness in relation to her wealth…she answered that it alleviates paying rent and buying food or something like that….the happiness of not worrying about being thrown out house or going to bed hungry….I forgot her quote but it was something like: only rich people say money doesnt bring happiness. And it made me think because in a way, you do have to be financially stable, where money is not an issue, to see that money is not happiness. only when you have enough money to “pursue some dream” can you be free from it. I think we are attracted to the freedom wealth provides. You can travel to Africa and help those in need, just like your friend Stu. You can stay home and write novels or paint all day. Send your kids to the better schools etc. Wealth can provide you the time to find meaning in life and not just survive. And when you’re in survival mode, money can be a big booster. Yes this society promotes having more and making more….but how can someone living close to poverty accept “working for meaning” when all they can focus is on a survival that depends highly on money? how can one find meaning in a job that removes 40 hours of your week from your family time and personal time? How is this an adventure to embrace? It seems more like an obligation to endure.
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment Thencasti. I cannot speak to Jeff’s thoughts, but I can speak to my response on your comment. First of all, I am glad you agree with the article (so do I). Because you prefaced your comment with that thought, I am going to guess your comment is more of a question than a rebuttal.
There is actually some interesting research that does link money to the alleviation of sadness… but not necessarily the increase of happiness. It may be a fine line between the two, but essentially, the study speaks to your comment. Having extra money on hand to deal with problems or inconveniences—like a leak in the house or a tuition hike at your daughter’s school—can provide comfort and help stave off annoyances. But it does not increase daily happiness. Here is a link to the study: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/money-happiness_n_6563208.html
Personally, I don’t necessarily agree with your comment “that you do have to be financially stable to see that money is not happiness.” Again, I have known and met countless people living below poverty (and I mean, third-world poverty) who live quite content and happy lives. I don’t think it is the lack of money that prevents some from experiencing happiness, I think it is the incessant desire for more money that keeps people from experiencing happiness in the present circumstance.
And on your final point of working 40 hours/week, I think that was the exact point of Jeff’s article. The goal is not to remove ourselves from work in order to seek pleasure unencumbered, the better response is to find our meaning in the 40 hours/week—in that way, it is not taking us away from personal time, it is actually enhancing it.
Thencasti says
Thank you for taking time to respond to my comment. I appreciate your points.
You make it clear here: “I don’t think it is the lack of money that prevents some from experiencing happiness, I think it is the incessant desire for more money that keeps people from experiencing happiness in the present circumstance.”
and here:
“The goal is not to remove ourselves from work in order to seek pleasure unencumbered, the better response is to find our meaning in the 40 hours/week—in that way, it is not taking us away from personal time, it is actually enhancing it.”
I need to learn to be more grateful and appreciate the present moment.
Thencasti says
Another thing I realize, is that this is impossible without God.
teabag says
i agree that money doesn’t buy happiness. but, don’t kid yourself–having enough money beats the hell out of not having enough! it’s very hard to be happy or feel fulfilled by one’s life if one must choose between going hungry (or watching one’s children go hungry) and being sick because one can’t afford to take needed medication every day. i realize that some people seem able to deal with such conditions and still be happy, but most people suffer when their poverty forces them to experience physical misery or emotional pain.
Sakhile says
Yes! I agree. We all deserve some good things at least once in our lives, otherwise life is just obligations and duties and no enjoyment. I have struggled a lot and I would happily welcome a nice large sum of money. It all depends on how you use the money. You can come across a lot of money and use it to achieve some really important goals not waste it on materialistic stuff and blow it all.
Jeff Goins says
I wish I could say it better than this, but I cannot. Well said, Joshua. It’s not that we don’t need money to live. The question is once our basic needs are met, what is this “more” we are striving for, and will it really make us happier?
pat says
Looking at all of the people waiting in line on payday to buy $20+ of lottery tickets is so saddening. As Dave Ramsey says “the lottery is a tax on the poor”. If they just put that money in a savings account each week they could have freedom from worry and debt. Their life could be so much more satisfying.
The best advice I ever heard was “if you don’t like your job, change it!”. Change companies, positions, careers, or maybe just change you-how you look at your job can make an immense difference. Negativity breeds more negativity.
So, no, I’m not waiting to win the lottery-I already have what I need, and a 9-5 job I look forward to going to daily (working for the largest company in town as an analyst).
Jeff Goins says
That’s great advice.
Christina @ Embracing Simple says
Beautiful post, Jeff!
I especially love this quote: “We waste so many days waiting for the weekend. So many nights wanting morning. Our lust for future comfort is the biggest thief of life.”
I lived my life for a long time constantly focused on the next big milestone or step I wanted to reach to be able to be happy. I am grateful that I finally realized that to be happy I needed to embrace today instead of being so fixated on what I wanted for the future.
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming and having goals for yourself, but it’s important to cherish today, as tomorrow is never promised!
Jeff Goins says
Amen!