People buy lottery tickets to outsource hope — it’s safer than betting on themselves.

Buying a ticket takes seconds. Betting on yourself takes time, work and consistency.  If the ticket loses, no shame. If you fail at something you tried, it feels personal. Lotteries give an immediate hit of anticipation. Personal goals pay off slowly.  Lottery odds are fixed. Life odds aren’t — people prefer certainty, even when it’s bad.

A losing ticket isn’t your fault. A personal setback feels like it is.  The lottery lets you dream without responsibility — betting on yourself doesn’t.

Of course, you can always make the odds better by choosing one small action you can control instead of a chance you can’t.

Leave it to a Roman philosopher (Seneca) to conclude:  “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Feel free to share