It doesn't take a rocket scientist (or an intuitive) to know that za-zillion folks are getting all goose-bumpy this morning at the thought of winning the half-a-billion Mega Millions jackpot. What are the odds? Something like 1 in 176 million. Oh, yeah, we know all that...but still...
For myself, I'd start off by incorporating some wisdom that Elizabeth Gilbert shares in her article, Confessions of an Over-Giver.
Thanks to Elizabeth, I started thinking about how I'd assist the people I really care about, creative ways that would empower — not dis-empower — them. I'd be mindful not to use up any of their own future opportunities that the U-verse stores up, you know, that kind that it delivers to: a) show us what we're made of (courage), b) show us how to manifest (being in alignment/out of fear), and c) demonstrate the interconnectedness of all living things (through the heart, Streaming Consciousness — and the Source).
So, I came up with ideas, for example, such as this one: I'd surprise one dear friend by paying her tuition for a workshop she's been longing to attend, the advanced level of her meditation class. It would certify her to participate in leading-edge meditation techniques that will help veterans suffering from PTSD. Oh, yeah, I'd throw in an iPad and upgrade her laptop, but, ala Elizabeth's advice, I'd resist the temptation to pay off all her bills and buy her a house.
But then came a Mega Gift to myself! It showed itself as immediate and real — sans fantasy or illusion! It sort of evolved along this thought chain that began with the indulgent thoughts, those that took me to that all-goose-bumpy place, then followed by — what-I'd-do-for-all-my-friends:
I asked myself, "What would I really and truly do differently?" I continued to be mindful of Elizabeth's experience and all the unpleasant tales told by those who've come into mega-bucks over night. Let's see..after banking approximately a total of $117 million — according to a Times Union Article:
A $540 million jackpot, if taken as a $390 million lump sum and after federal tax withholding, works out to about $293 million. With the jackpot odds at 1 in 176 million, it would cost $176 million to buy up every combination. Under that scenario, the strategy would win $117 million — less if your state also withholds taxes.
Well, sure, in that Mega Reality, I did find more ways to empower people I care about, after paying off all my debts, upgrading my car and purchasing condos in my four favorite cities around the world. But then I settled comfortably back into Me (the physical me...crows feet 'n all), Myself (the eternal me that goes way beyond all this), and I (my Higher, Universal, overseeing self). All three of me filled up with a wonderful sensation, an accumulation of all that's already working so very well for me in my life. My blessings.
I felt as though I (all three of me) instantaneously compacted the best of my life into a sort of storage container, a module that I can transport anywhere, under any circumstances, greater and/or lesser material riches, the love of (and for) some very special souls — existing in and out of the body — and flashes of the best of Mother Earth's beauty (and her critters). What a Mega gift.
Why not give yourself this sort of gift today? It's a way that each one of us can be a winner!
(All for one — one for all, you know!)
Today...I feel rich.