Lottery mentality

During a quick stop to grab some coffee at a local convenience store, the 3 customers ahead of me seemed to be slowing down the line like the D.M.V. I couldn’t really hear the women in flip-flops, wrinkled shirt and shorts barking out requests to the cashier. But as soon as she started ripping off lottery tickets, it was clear she wasn’t there to buy eggs and milk, or coffee.

I think it was my second or third “direct marketing” business opportunity when the term “lottery mentality” first crossed my radar. One of those guys on stage, you know the “leaders” that do the conference calls and seem to have all the answers to achieving “The Lifestyle”, identified this disorder. His definition was basically someone that purchases a business “kit” or buys into an opportunity, than just sits back and waits for the cash to fall from the sky.

As I moved through my entrepreneurial journey after abandoning the corporate world, I could relate. There is simply no more difficult task than running your own business, regardless of the size, scope, or system. It takes work, passion, desire, and dreams. That’s just if you want to break even. Most small business owners don’t even put a dime in the bank until they survive several years of rejection, objection, and subjection to depression…

Again, I speak from experience as more than my fair share of “ground floor opportunities” have passed me by faster than the years have been ticked off my scorecard. But as I look back at those that did and those that failed, the “lottery mentality” has prevailed…

Read the autobiographies of those that have succeeded from humble beginnings and a common denominator is evident. Not a one expected a hand-out, a “fair shot” from the government or any other institution. They believed in the mission, the crusade they made, regardless of the obstacles in their way….

 It’s claimed that most “lottery winners” go broke within a few years of achieving their unearned wealth. Could it be that their “mentality” simply does not allow them to appreciate that which was given, without effort or thought? Entitlements seem to predominate our society, as “participation” means a trophy, or being born somewhere in some classification equates to getting a deal.

The only “deal” that offers something real is that which is achieved through effort and will, as those with the “lottery mentality” continue to hope for something still.