The Workers and the Lottery Winners

I stood looking the young men in the face, sweat pouring down in the August heat. The one's who did not make it staring back at us through the chain link fence and making nasty comments. I could see that because so many had left it was wearing on the faces of those who were there. I asked them "How many of you would like to work and make a lot of money someday?".

To which all of them raised their tired hands slowly in the burning heat. I said" Ok, that's good, but how many of you would like to win the lottery instead?". The hands of the young men flew to the air with a quickness almost startling. I smiled, as I felt the beads of sweat running down my back, me too suffering some in the relentless South Florida sun. I then proceeded to ask the young men before me "How many of you know somebody who works and has made a lot of money?"

Quite a few of them raised their hands with wrinkle foreheads as I could tell I was getting the better of their anticipation. I then asked, with a cocked smile "Now, how many of you know someone who's won the lottery?". Not a single soul raised their hand. "Nobody?" I quipped. "Nobody knows somebody who's won the lottery?". To which I added "That there men, is what I"m trying to tell you, nothing in this old world is handed to you. Nothing you want to achieve will EVER be handed to you."

"On a football field, what you want must be worked for, just as the money the people you know have worked for." They all had this look of resolve amongst them, as if "yeah, coach is right". I reiterated the point by stating "A worker's job is to get paid for working, and his pay is money, a football player's job is to win football games for practicing harder than his opponent, and our pay is wins gentlemen...our pay is wins."

A slight breeze out of the south began to blow as an old Ford rambled along the roadway beside us, the young men looking at their coach began to realize, nothing in this world is for free, and if they wanted something bad enough, they were going to have to earn it.

The silence among them was golden, the coach was proud, and looked long and hard into the eager faces before him. For it is so true, that people more and more want something handed to them, want something for nothing, or feel they are entitled to something. To which I ask..."How many of you know somebody who's won the lottery?"