The Power of Imagination
I won a million dollars today! I was at work taking a break at my desk when I decided to check the numbers on the lottery ticket I purchased this past weekend. I had played Powerball 3 times this year; the two previous tries I had let the computer pick the numbers, but this time I had been inspired to choose my own.
My heart and my breathing stopped when I looked at the numbers on my ticket and then back to the winning numbers listed on my phone. I had 5 numbers correct, leaving only the Powerball not matched. This equaled one million dollars. Now my heart was racing and I felt dizzy. What now? I wasn’t going to run around and tell everyone. That wouldn’t be safe nor smart. And, I didn’t have the money yet. How do you even get the money? I had research to do.
I asked the other front office chick to switch hours with me tomorrow. (Yes, I am still going to work until my money is in hand. I’ll just be a happier soul while I’m there.) When she confirmed, I set an appointment for tomorrow afternoon with an accountant that I had met years ago. He just happened to send me a Christmas card this past December. Feliz Navidad to him. I’ve heard a million dollars can go quickly, in taxes alone. I knew I needed help with my goals: pay off my bills and make my winnings work for me. Stunned, I put my ticket away, but kept checking and rechecking its location. Did I put it in the zippered part of my wallet? What if the zipper ripped it and deformed the winning numbers? I found a Ziploc to keep the ticket safe and put it in a zippered pocket in my laptop bag. I checked that pocket about 10 more times before I clocked out for the day. I undoubtedly had a big goofy grin on my face for the rest of the afternoon and a complete inability to focus, but to my co-workers, I must have seemed the same. Everyone carried on about their normal business while I was wondering how many more days I would be working in tandem with the peeps that I spend more waking hours with than my own family.
If I had a significant other, I would be able to share this extremely exciting news with someone, but I don’t and I surely couldn’t tell my kids. There is no way they could keep something this big a secret and my ex is the absolute last person that needs to know I came into some money. It actually makes me feel like a bad ass to keep being a millionaire all to myself for awhile. (Well, other than sharing the news with my faithful blog followers, but who’s counting). I’ve bought a house and a car by myself, traveled alone and went under the tattoo needle in solitary fashion, so surely I could relish in being rich solo fashion for a night.
Besides not going to my 9-5, I don’t forecast a major upheaval to my life. (Don’t laugh.) I don’t desire a sports car or a boat or a mansion. A house with a pool will be nice. My debts will be paid off, so not giving plasma to make a car payment will be cool. (More on this in my upcoming “Side Gig” page.) My best day ever will still include working out, working on some type of house project for me or someone else, eating delicious food, writing on my books or blog and now being able to pick up my kids at the end of their school day. Oh, and I can’t wait to travel. Being afforded the time and money to witness this beautiful world that I’ve read about will be the biggest blessing from these winnings. Mostly, I feel free- I can breathe easy, and I feel empowered.
I researched, “What to do when you win the lottery” when I got home. Signing my ticket isn’t the best idea because that may mean I can’t remain anonymous. Who knew? I’m supposed to put the ticket in a locked, fireproof safe. I don’t even have one of those! Apparently, the accountant is going to ask if I choose to receive all of my money at once or have it dispersed throughout the years ahead of me. My first inclination is to take the money and run, but I see I have to spread it out into different banks if I want it federally insured. The money ‘only’ comes up to $600,000 after taxes rape it, which I still really appreciate, but in reality, people spend half of that on a house all of the time. I learned I’m going to have to pull my big girl panties up and create a will as I now have something more than debt to leave behind.
…Based on yesterday’s date (well today’s date, but I blog late) and the title, you may have already guessed this- but because I have always promised to keep it real with you, I will now admit that this entire post up until this paragraph has been my imagination spinning while I was granted 30 minutes of down-time at work.
Have you taken the time to imagine your best day ever? There is power in simply devoting mental airtime to how we wish things would play out. Imagining creates thoughts that have energy. Energy has vibrations that are released out into the universe. I would definitely rather send signals of me frolicking with money than any other host of worrisome thoughts my mind could focus upon.
In the very least, gifting ourselves with minutes of happy thoughts is well-deserved since we use our brains every other moment of the day to plan, schedule, strategize, etc. (we=women, see Waffle Heads & Spaghetti). Letting my imagination think joyful thoughts lifts my mood and takes me to my happy place, aka “La La Land.” I wish to travel and experience new places, so while I drive to work, I pretend I’m driving in a new city that I am visiting. When I’m eating at a restaurant, I make-believe I’m in a town foreign to me while doing so. The ability to focus our brain in this way is God’s gift to humans. (Or at least I don’t think the family dog is visualizing that his Purina is a steak in France.)
As mentioned in Letters to the Universe – it’s a good idea to get real clear about what we want. It seems many people envision winning the lottery, but stop there. The real fun should be considering and feeling what comes after. Thinking beyond the exhilaration of winning to the comfortable, powerful, joyful living that comes with the money elevates my mood just to consider – which is the point.
In 1937 Napolean Hill wrote “Think and Grow Rich.” It has been mentioned by so many of my favorite authors that I had to give it a whirl. It’s not an easy read for me and I still haven’t read it from front to back. Instead, I open it to wherever I land and check off the pages as I go. I’ve read enough to know that this man knew about the power of imagination way back in the day. Below are 5 of his quotes:
- MAN’S ONLY LIMITATION, within reason, LIES IN HIS DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF HIS IMAGINATION.
- All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination.
- The imagination is too often regarded merely as an indefinite, untraceable, indescribable something that does nothing but create fiction.
- The imagination is the workshop of the soul, where are shaped all the plans for individual achievement.
- If you do not see great riches in your imagination, you will never see them in your bank balance.
We don’t even have to go back a century to realize thinking about money is a step towards wealth. Rappers mention money being on their minds all of the time; I don’t think those are just lyrics to sound cool. Drake literally says, “The power of the mind is not a joke.” And he’s awesome.
I obviously don’t have it all figured out yet but I know that envisioning the way I desire things to be creates a better life (& a better me) than does maintaining any negative imagery in my head. I’ll proudly wear the name “Moonbeam” while I daydream and when I do win the lottery, I can bet that journals and laptops will be opening around the world (or at least on the outskirts of Naptown).
I do this imagining almost every day. My favorite time to let my mind go is when I am driving back to work from lunch and the sun is shining on my face through my truck window. I usually listen to classical music on work days to give me a “calm” before the storm. To also ease the road rage. 😀
When the sun is shining just right I can imagine sitting next to my inground pool in an expensive lounge chair with some beach-y type music in the background, reading a really steamy novel. (this is my calming scene too btw)
I have also dreamed/imagined the winning of the lottery. I always think of an amount to make it more real. I plan my money plans to the last penny.
Imagine it to reality……… one of my favorite lines from one of the thousands of self help books I have read.
That’s awesome, Holly! I love when I’m tuned in enough to remember to enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face. Abraham Hicks says while driving (not so much in bad traffic that needs our attention) is a time we are mentally receptive and open to Source. I enjoyed writing about my first day of winning the lottery so much, I want to keep going now: Lottery Won – Day 2 🙂 You having the spending planned is a great idea. I’m still working on a Vision Board.
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