Here is some good advice from the book. Don’t wait to claim your ticket. Most state lotteries have a 6-month to a 1-year statute of limitations. Believe it or not some multi-million dollar jackpots were never claimed in time.
Don’t give in to family pressures. Family members may pressure you into feeling that you should share all winnings with them equally. It is a common occurrence for distant relatives to phone the winner and exclaim how happy and relieved they are now that “we” won.
Don’t feel guilty. Sanford said catch yourself if you begin to suffer some guilt for having money without personally earning it. Instead think of your jackpot as a new opportunity to do something worthwhile and fun with and in your life. Expect to lose some friends. You are the same person after you win the jackpot only with more money. However, the people around you will change the way they relate both to you and to what they perceive as your new-found wealth. Friends may not understand the mechanics of the lottery jackpot payouts. Often others will assume that you instantly have huge amounts of disposable income and they may expect you to cover the cost of entire outings for both you and everyone else. Uninformed friends then may resent or disbelieve you when you do not or cannot pay for everything for everyone. One benefit of this “friend effect” is that your true friends will become more apparent.
And don’t expect to have many true friends. Part of the cost of winning the lottery is the loss of those who you thought were friends. If you prepare for the loss, you won’t be so surprised or hurt when it happens. Be a prepared winner. The true winners win and continue to win after getting their jackpot because they were winners before they got their jackpot. They were already on a path to personal growth. The lottery winnings simple enhance and quicken the pace for these prepared winners. Good luck.
(Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com)
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
Download our mobile app at https://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier
