Most ordinary people, were they to be fortunate enough to win the lottery, would have a great time spending it. Whether on vices or necessities, creature comforts or ostentatious luxuries, that money would be gone about as quickly as Biden forgets a sentence. Still others would be far more responsible and save or invest it, using the money to set themselves and their family up for long term financial success and safety.
Either way, the money would be used for the winner’s benefit. And that’s what makes today’s heartwarming story all the more special: an ordinary guy in Virginia, an Uber driver, won the lottery. Yet instead of spending it, he decided to use the money to help others. Here’s what NBC 12 reports about the lottery winner and his plans for the winnings:
An Uber driver in Virginia won $100,000 on a lottery ticket and said he plans to use at least part of the prize money to help feed the homeless.
According to the Virginia Lottery, Nicolas Houssini bought his winning ticket on Jan. 1 at a 7-Eleven in Blacksburg.
He became one of seven $100,000 winners in Virginia’s New Year’s Millionaire raffle.
When Houssini claimed his prize, he told lottery officials he hopes to use some of his winnings to feed homeless people.
“I love Blacksburg, and I love people!” Houssini said. “I want to give back!”
So he’s not giving all of it away. But, still, for an ordinary guy to have that much luck and decide to pay it forward by helping feed the homeless is special.
Having that much humility and self-control might also, in the long-term, be good for Mr. Houssini. That’s because most lottery winners end up blowing through the money and ending up no better than before, if not in a worse place than before they won. Reader’s Digest, noting that, said:
Life after winning the lottery may not stay glamorous forever. Whether they win $500 million or $1 million, about 70 percent of lotto winners lose or spend all that money in five years or less.
The same article in Reader’s Digest also notes that those who win the lottery tend to have “friends” that then try to take advantage of them, saying:
“I had one friend who told me this sob story about how behind she was on her local taxes and how they were going to take her house because she couldn’t pay,” says one lottery winner. “After she left, I got on my computer, looked up her tax records, and saw that she wasn’t behind. When I printed out that page and sent it to her, well, that was the end of our friendship.”
So, winning the lottery must be one heck of an adrenaline rush and certainly has the ability to change someone’s life…but, like all good things, too much of something isn’t necessarily a good thing. Hopefully, Mr. Houssini manages to keep the same spirit alive and not let winning the lottery end up ruining his life.
Featured image credit: Virginia Lottery
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