I came across something really interesting a couple of weeks ago, and I just have to pass it along to you today. I can’t say I was shocked, but I was a little disappointed. Time magazine reported that in an effort to boost lottery revenues, the state of Missouri will follow in Minnesota’s footsteps and start selling lottery tickets electronically at gas pumps and ATMs this fall. The executive director of the Minnesota Lottery told Time, “People are always in a hurry nowadays. So the thought is, it takes 10-15 seconds to go through the process, and I think people would say, ‘Why not, I’ll give it a shot.'”

Did you catch that? The whole purpose of having lottery tickets so readily available to you is to make it quick and easy for you to buy them. And these new strategies are NOT because ticket sales are down. The lottery is actually booming, and much of the country has experienced record sales, according to Time.

Unfortunately, this is a trap a lot of people will fall into. I mean, why not? It only takes 15 seconds to go through the process of buying it, and you can do it while you’re getting gas.

But I want you to think about the bigger picture for just a minute. You may be someone who buys lottery tickets each week, or you could be one who has never bought a single ticket in your entire life. Either way, don’t count yourself out just yet…

Because this is something that goes much deeper than a simple lottery ticket. There is a mindset behind that lottery ticket that leads to financial failure. Ancient wisdom says he who chases fantasies has poverty waiting for him.

What is a fantasy, and how does it lead to poverty? Well, the belief you will somehow get lucky and have all of your problems solved is a total fantasy. The belief you will get something for nothing is a fantasy. It is a fantasy to think you can go to work and do just enough to not get fired, and then expect to get promoted or get a huge bonus. It’s a fantasy to think you can keep eating out 4 times a week, going shopping, and stopping at Starbucks every morning, and expect to become debt-free.

This is what we call the “lottery mentality,” and it will never lead to long-term success. If you pursue this mentality, you will always end up disappointed.

Many years ago, I heard someone tell me, “If you want to be successful, then find out what everyone else is doing and do the opposite.” So let’s look at the other side of this…

It’s safe to say most people are living under this lottery mentality in one way or another. That is, they are hoping to get something for nothing. But you and I know if we want to get something out, we have to put something in.

If you want to annihilate your debt, should you sit and pray and sit and pray and watch and hope and wait for it to suddenly disappear? Heck no! That’s stupid! If you want to annihilate your debt and still have money to do what you want, you have to start with the basic principles of handling money! That’s not chasing a fantasy…that’s pursuing skills and producing results!

The bottom line is, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll have what you’ve always had. Do not put your hope in a fantasy, because that will never lead to success. Choose today to get equipped and to take action in the direction of your goal, whether that goal is to annihilate your debt, get a promotion, raise successful kids, build a multimillion-dollar business, or to feed a thousand orphans every month.

I hope this motivated you to get out from under that giant weight of debt and financial pressure pushing you down and stressing you out! Leave me your comments below and Like and Share this message with your friends and family.

Start your week out right. Join us this afternoon for The Dani Johnson Show at 12 pm ET/11 am CT. You can tune into the show on either your TV or radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right on our website.

In great faith,

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