Earlier this week, I attended an offsite during which each participant was given a large piece of paper and asked to illustrate what we would do if we won the $214 Million "Mega Millions" Jackpot.Thoughts started running through my head as quickly as the 10 employees in Tom's River, a N.J. shore town only 80 miles away, probably ran to tell their families they had won. I picked up a marker and drew a picture of a ticket. After calling my friends and family to report my good fortune, I thought, the first thing I would want to do is purchase tickets for the next flight to Florence. I would gather my close friends and family so we could all fly to Italy and buy a Tuscan villa, in which we would begin plans for my first big project - starting my own charitable foundation.
With the excitement of winning the jackpot, I thought, would surely come an overwhelming feeling of responsibility. Clearly, I would have to call Bono and Oprah, and seek their advice regarding how best to distribute the money. I would want to start with my hometown. I would feed the hungry, house the homeless...fund local animal orphanages. I would visit local women's shelters to see what they needed, and then make sure they had a lifetime supply of whatever it was. I would set up scholarship funds. I would establish savings funds so my family would never want for anything. I'd ask them for their top three wishes, and then I would grant them.
I would not stop working or learning, and would go back to school full-time, for a long time. I would get my MBA, or my Master's in Nutrition. I would have the ultimate job title: MBARDVHP (Master's of Business Administration, Registered Dietitian, Very Happy Person).
Then I would work on my first book, and build my first business - an online marketplace where women from around the world could sell artisan crafts and connect with one another. Then I would take the family jet I purchased and travel the world to meet them.
The group briefly shared their pictures, and then tucked them safely away into binders and computer cases - some threw theirs away - and we quickly moved on to the next topic.
Of course, I didn't really expect to win the lottery this week. According to Bloomberg, the odds of winning the jackpot, which was the 10th-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history, were 1 in 176 million. But I have to admit that later that day, after dreaming big, I felt a slight pang of disappointment that I wasn't in fact an instant millionaire.
But as I pulled out my illustration from the ice-breaker, I realized that all of the dreams on my list were attainable.
I can't afford to go to Italy tonight. But I can go to my favorite Italian BYOB in Philadelphia this weekend, which is owned by a family from Italy, and have a truly authentic meal. I can leverage technology to brush up on my Italian just for fun by downloading free podcasts. I can probably even find a great ribollita recipe from an Italian family online. Experiencing world cultures right at home has never been easier.
I don't have the resources with which to start a charitable foundation right now. But I can give of my time, and continue volunteering for local non-profits. I am strong, and healthy. I can serve soup, build houses, walk dogs that need adopting and clean up parks that need cleaning. As the saying goes, "to know that even just one life has breathed easier because you have lived is to have succeeded."
I have the passion I need to achieve my dreams, the drive I need to reach my goals and the power to make change. I live in a country where everyone has the opportunity to live and contribute to society to their fullest potential. I have a very loving family. And although I can't grant them their three wishes, by counting my own blessings, I've realized that everything I've ever wished for is within reach.
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