Who hasn’t ever thought what you would do if you won the lottery? I know I have, and if I’ve been bored I’ve even looked at multi-million pound homes and dreamed of buying one in the event of a lottery win. But beyond that…I don’t know what I would do if I’m honest. The Euromillions lottery jackpot for tomorrow (as I am writing this) is in the region of £70m. So, for the purposes of this writing, I am going to assume that’s the amount I have won and I am going to let whatever comes up be what I would do with a win. Here goes…
For most people, winning the lottery means giving up work immediately. I know it does for my husband. For me, it doesn’t. I can’t imagine giving up my goal of being a best-selling author. I will never give up writing, if anything winning the lottery will mean I have the luxury of time to write even more. To have the space where I feel comfortable in my writing, purposely made for me to my own requirements. That would be an amazing luxury. Being given the chance to write all the time, to have all the infrastructure behind me to do so including being able to afford professionally created websites and hiring cover designers for my books etc…yes, this is something that really excites me!
Naturally the first thing I would do would be to clear up all my debts, and those of family members as well. I would ensure that family members and close friends are financially secure, so they never have to worry about money again. And I would invest a lot of the money to give me continued passive income so I can pursue my passions. I would travel for sure with my immediate family, including considering online schooling for my son so we could go and explore the world. Go on a world cruise, for example. I get the feeling I don’t want to be tied down and living my current routine just with more money. That I want to explore other cultures and understanding, for example the Vedic traditions in India, Taoism in Japan, and Buddhism in Tibet. To immerse myself in meditation and yoga with the gurus would be so amazing. To spend time really exploring Europe, not having to rush because your two weeks are about to be up and you’ve only just recharged your batteries. Immerse myself in the different cultures, really spend some time in Italy which is (currently) my favourite country in Europe. Island hopping around Greece, exploring the Alps and Alpine communities, travelling around Germany especially the Black Forest which I have always been fascinated by (and not just for the gateaux!). There is a book I want to write based in Montana so I would love to be able to spend an extended amount of time there and understand its history as well as its culture. Touring Australia and New Zealand – especially the wineries! – definitely appeals. I know my son would be desperate to go on a safari and support the work of the parks and rangers to protect the animals from the poachers. My husband and son are also obsessed with Japan so the ability to explore there for all of our interests would be the best family experience. With the beauty of all this being that I could write about my travels in a blog as well as incorporate what I have experienced in my fiction writing. Oh, I can feel the excitement of the first adventure already…I can picture it as going through the Eurotunnel in a motorhome all packed in together as we embark on our European odyssey.
Would I buy that huge house? I don’t know. I just think about the housework and window cleaning not to mention the gardening…! But I do love Georgian architecture and being surrounded by a palladian Georgian building does sound wonderful. The clean lines and simplicity is my ideal. Having a base to come home to is important to me as well, I’m not that footloose and fancy free. I want to know there is somewhere to return to when I feel the need to get back to my roots. But I guess the question is for what reason would I spend millions on a home? Being a historian, I might want to own a piece of history but I already live in a Grade II listed house and, to be honest, the draft from the windows I cannot replace is just not worth it! I know I wouldn’t entertain the thought of keeping where I currently live for a number of reasons but I could afford to renovate it to sell it at least. I want a warm, comfortable house that we don’t echo around in really. Anything other than that is, realistically, just a status symbol and I’m not sure that’s for me. The family of one of my son’s friends own a very large country house, and whilst it is lovely it always seems to be half empty. Half of the house is not used and in darkness which makes me think…what’s the point? Furnishing and heating rooms you don’t use? I really can’t see the point. I’m honestly not judging, to each their own. I just don’t think it’s for me. There are things I would like with a house, though, such as a dressing room (and with two males in the house, my own bathroom!) and as I’ve already said, my writing space. Then there are the spaces my family will want as well. But, it doesn’t need to be too big. It just needs to be comfortable with no drafts. And I think I want to be around people, I currently live in the middle of the countryside and whilst it’s lovely, it is isolated. The views are lovely, but we don’t live in views. I want to be a part of a community but overall it might be best if I just buy some land and build my own home in the style I want it in!
What is also important to me is to use the money to help people. There are specific charities close to my heart – those that research cures for pancreatic cancer and heart disease as I lost grandparents to those diseases and I would like to donate money to them so that others are not affected in that way. I am also passionate about animals and there is a wonderful man who rescues dogs in Thailand who I would love to support financially to help him with his work. I also would want to support children, especially those who have suffered parental abandonment. I would like to find a way to support charities who help them so they can end up having well-adjusted lives. And I would support any initiatives, including my own, that helps spread a message of living soul-led lives so the world can be a happier place. This may sound very cheesy, but I am a firm believer that this has to happen for the sake of humanity and what better way to use such money? Highlighting to people how they can lead genuinely happy, peaceful lives. Providing them with the support to do so. I have no idea what that would look like but it would have to form an integral part of my life.
The majority of lottery winners, something like 70%, who win over £1m end up broke within five years. At least I think those are the statistics. And a lot of that is because of their mindset towards money – they’re scared of it for a variety of reasons, so when they get a lot of money they feel compelled to get rid of it quickly. It all operates at a subconscious level and I know I have that tendency as well, as does my husband. So, I would spend some money on coaching and mentoring to help us overcome that. And is why I would invest a significant bulk of the money in such a way that it provides me with an income and is difficult for me to just access and spend. I would want the win to last not just my life but also be handed down to my son and his children and so on. It’s an opportunity for generational wealth and it’s one I would grasp with both hands.
And the money I would make as a best-selling author? Well, that’s easy. I would invest and save half the money and I would donate the other half to those causes close to my heart. Sounds pretty perfect to me…now, which numbers should I choose?
Louisa Simpson 