Winning the Lottery is a State of Mind

“I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind,” Dr. Ben Carson (HUD) said during an interview. “You take somebody that has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street, and I guarantee in a little while they’ll be right back up there. And you take somebody with the wrong mindset, you could give them everything in the world, they’ll work their way right back down to the bottom.”

Winning the lottery is also a state of mind.

It’s a statistical certainty.  If you maintain a “certain mindset” you will win the lottery.  If you know that you can win, you will!  All you have to do is unceasingly buy tickets and perhaps live a very long time.  If you have the “wrong mindset”, if you know you’re not likely to win, you won’t – even if you do live a very long time.

Dr. Ben Carson’s mother won the lottery.  Sonya (Copland) Carson was married at thirteen.  She was divorced before the age of thirty with two boys still less than ten years old.  Ben’s mother worked two and sometimes three jobs simultaneously to support her family.  It hardly sounds like winning the lottery, but in a way she already had.  She was blessed with a healthy body and a determined personality.  More importantly, she was blessed with a strong mind – the kind of mind that could acquire and sustain “a certain mindset”.  To recognize the blessing takes nothing from her proven character in facing an almost insurmountable task.  She did it herself, but was blessed with the tools to make it happen. Some are not so blessed.

Dr. Carson won the lottery, too – with an even bigger prize!  Like his mother, Ben was blessed with a strong mind and healthy body.  He had the added gifts of an amazing and supportive mother.  His hard work and accomplishments are not diminished when acknowledging the role of good fortune in achieving the rewards of disciplined effort.  Some are not so fortunate.

The doctor’s children might be even more fortunate.  They may be in position for power ball winnings!  With a bit of cooperation from the gene pool, they too will inherit healthy minds and bodies.  They’ll be gifted with nurturing parents and a stable home.  Additionally they’ll receive the trappings of an upper middle class life style.  All will be in place to access and maximize the rewards of a “right mindset”.  Some are not so endowed.

Its there for all of us.  With the right mindset, you and I can win the lottery.  Its just a matter of sustained effort in finding the ticket.  Be resolute and never waver.  Implement a long term buying plan.  Don’t try to acquire the ticket with food stamps, though – they’re meant for more immediate needs (and it might be illegal).