You Didn't Have the Winning Ticket, But We All Won the Lottery

So, you didn’t win the 1.5billion dollar Powerball. However, if you are reading this, you did win the lottery. By being born in America, I believe that in essence we have already won the lottery. We can be daily thankful for the freedom, protection, and opportunities that this nation, despite its many issues, affords each one of us.

 

In America, as Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” It doesn’t matter if you grow up poor, black, white, democrat, republican, smart, or dumb. You don’t have to wait for your “big break” to become successful and financially independent. You are the winning ticket. However, it takes a conscious, consistent effort and dedication to excellence. Success requires trying, failing, and getting up again, while learning from each failure. Although this approach to success almost guarantees you financial independence, it is much easier to buy a lottery ticket and pray for a miracle. Let's not be a victim of our circumstances and strive for excellence. It is choice, not chance that determines our destiny.

Nonetheless, whatever your current circumstances, consider the following facts for some great perspective of how blessed we are:

• If you woke up this morning in good health, you have more luck than one million people, who won’t live through the week.

• If you have never experienced the horror of war, the solitude of prison, the pain of torture, were not close to death from starvation, then you are better off than 500 million people.

• If you can go to your place of worship without fear that someone will assault or kill you, then you are luckier than 3 BILLION people.

• If you have a full fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are wealthier than 75% of the world’s population (est 5.5 billion people)

• If your family income is $10,000 a year, you are wealthier than 84 percent of the world. If it's $50,000 or more a year, you make more than 99 percent of the world

• If you currently have money in the bank, in your wallet, and a few coins in your purse, you are among the most privileged 10% of people in the world.

• If your parents are still alive and still married, you are a rare individual.

The information above was taken from the following link



"Greatness is not in where we stand, but in the direction we are moving, We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it-But sail we must, and not drift, nor lie at anchor." -unknown

MIDN Matthew Miller
United States Merchant Marine Academy
Class of 2017
Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management