You’ve done it.

Six numbers have just transformed you from someone wondering whether Tesco has put the coffee prices up again into someone wondering whether a yacht should be on your Christmas list..

Before ordering the Lamborghini, buying a hotel in Barbados or ringing your boss to explain exactly where he can put Monday morning, there’s something you should know.

Winning the lottery isn’t the dangerous part. What you do next could well be.

So, if those numbers ever come up, here are ten things NOT to do.

1. Don’t Tell Everybody

Your first instinct may be to phone family, friends, and possibly people you haven’t spoken to since 1987.

Don’t.

The fewer people who initially know, the better. Sudden wealth can attract requests, expectations, scams, and people who mysteriously remember how much they’ve always liked you. You instantly become a target.

2. Don’t Immediately Quit Your Job Spectacularly

By all means, leave eventually.

Just resist the urge to hire a brass band to accompany you into the office while you deliver your resignation. Do it quietly; have a good think about it first before throwing in the towel. Give yourself time to adjust before making irreversible decisions. Whatever you do, don’t tell your boss or co-workers why you’re quitting. Again, you’ll make yourself a target.

3. Don’t Put It on Facebook

This should not require explanation.

“I’VE WON £42 MILLION!!!! 🍾🍾🍾”

Congratulations. You’ve just alerted former school friends, distant cousins, scammers, and a gentleman in Nigeria with an extraordinary investment opportunity.

4. Don’t Start Giving Millions Away

Generosity is wonderful.

Financial chaos isn’t.

Before promising houses to the children and £50,000 to Dave because he once lent you a lawnmower, decide what you can genuinely afford to give away. Giving money away like confetti is another red flag, as people do talk, and that attracts more people who will want money from you. You may even get them lining up outside your front door.  Let the story die down a bit and give money sensibly.

5. Don’t Become an Overnight Investment Genius

Yesterday you didn’t know what a corporate bond was.

Today, somebody in a shiny suit is explaining why alpaca farms in Bolivia are “the opportunity of the decade.”

Get properly regulated professional financial and legal advice before making major decisions.

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If you like slightly unconventional articles about money, psychology and navigating this peculiar thing called life, have a look around the rest of the blog. There’s plenty more where this came from.

6. Don’t Assume You Need to Spend It

A £10 million bank balance does not require a £9 million lifestyle.

You don’t suddenly need six cars, three houses and a swimming pool shaped like your initials.

7. Don’t Lend Money Without Thinking

Once people know you’re wealthy, “Could you lend me…” may become the opening line of considerably more conversations.

Decide your rules before emotion makes them for you. Remember, lending money to people is often a sign they may never pay you back.

8. Don’t Make Every Major Decision in Month One

New house.

New car.

New business.

New friends.

New life.

Possibly even a new nose.

Slow down.

Sudden wealth removes financial limitations, but it doesn’t instantly provide perfect judgment.

9. Don’t Believe the “Lottery Curse”

You’ve probably heard that 70% of lottery winners go bankrupt.

There’s a problem.

That widely repeated statistic isn’t supported by the research organization frequently credited with it.

In fact, serious long-term research has found large lottery winners enjoying sustained improvements in life satisfaction.

Money doesn’t automatically ruin people.

Bad decisions can.

10. Don’t Forget Who You Were Last Tuesday

This might be the most important one.

Money can change your postcode, your car and the number of zeroes on your bank statement.

Don’t let it decide your personality.

Keep the people who genuinely matter. Keep doing things you enjoy. Keep some normality.

And perhaps wait a few months before buying the yacht.

You might discover you get seasick.

Winning the lottery could be an extraordinary opportunity. The trick isn’t merely becoming rich.

It’s staying sensible long enough to enjoy being rich for the rest of your life. 

P.S. If you’d like to think differently about money, success and the rules we’ve been taught to live by, take a look at The Legacy Code by Keith Everett. Sometimes changing your life begins with changing the assumptions you’ve been carrying around for years.

P.P.S. If you’re fascinated by manifestation, prosperity, and the power of thought, visit my Florence Scovel Shinn YouTube channel, where we explore Florence’s timeless ideas and how they can be applied to modern life.