What would you do with $54.2 million?

That’s a question that 17 lucky coworkers in Alberta get to answer today, after winning last night’s record Lotto 6/49 draw.

I’ve never played the lottery and I probably never will. I’ve had it drilled into me since I was a kid that “lotteries are a voluntary tax on people who aren’t too good at math”. And I tend to subscribe to that notion.

But, as they say, you can’t win if you don’t play. And it has got to suck to be one of the employees of that oil and gas company in Alberta who didn’t participate. As they say, what if?

Here’s a fun exercise: List all the things you would do if you suddenly won, say, $54.2 million. Then look at that list. Minus the requisite “give to charity” and “invest” and “pay off bills” items, take a look at the big stuff. Supposedly, it’s an indication of your true life goals… of what would make you truly happy.

If your list consists mostly of stuff you’re doing anyway, then it means you’re happy with your life. If it’s full of goals you haven’t fulfilled, then you’re supposed to look for ways to do them anyway. And if it’s a long list of fancy cars and flashy private jets, then supposedly that means you should re-evaluate the priority you put on material things in your life, and focus on the important stuff. (That, or try out for a job with Donald Trump on The Apprentice).

What would I do? Probably a lot of this.

(Oh, but don’t forget to always be nice to people who play the 6/49… some parking attendant who flipped off one of the winners last week is kicking himself right now for ignoring that advice).