Lottery mentality

The lottery is said to be “a tax on people who can’t do math.”  That’s
 because you probably have better odds of getting hit by a bolt of lightning while
 doing cartwheels then winning the lottery.  Unfortunately, some people
 keep putting their future prosperity in the hands of five or six ping
 pong balls.  Not very good financial strategy if you ask me. 



We see this same mentality with baseball players as well.  A player
 “hopes” to play in college.  A player “wishes” he could get the chance
 to play pro ball and make it to the majors.  Although chance, luck, and 
being in the right place at the right time do play somewhat of a role,
 using it as your entire strategy to get where you want to go won’t work.
  Winners take action and don’t just sit back, wait, and wish.  They
 figure out what needs to be done and they do it.  Along the way, they
 make whatever adjustments they need to get what they want and never rely
 on anyone else to determine their future.

It may be easier to take the whoa-is-me attitude and blame external things like bad luck for why you haven’t fulfilled whatever goal you have.  It may even ease the pain of your ego but like the lottery, it is ultimately a losing strategy in the long run.