Upon hearing the news of a Nottingham couple winning the £40 million jackpot on the Euromillions lottery, I began speculating what I could do with such a windfall.
For a limited time, at least, I would be able to have my time freed up to do my work without having to waste the greatest part of each day doing things I don’t want to do just to put a roof over my head and food on the table. I would also have the means to outsource tasks that swallow up yet further proportions of my time unnecessarily, enabling the work to be done in a distraction-free environment.
Where I needed to take time out for additional training in specific areas, or to travel abroad in order to network, close deals or even undertake training in another part of the world for several months, I would be able to do so without a second thought.
Instead of worrying about how I’m going to save up for even one piece of equipment that I need to start the research, I would be able to have a fully equipped laboratory suite to work in. And be able to staff it, and pay volunteers’ expenses.
The drafting in of technicians and other experts to handle specific issues that may come up (such as IT or other equipment installation) would be no problem.
Publishing, promotion and any other administrative matters could easily be covered out of the small change.
Any training courses, materials, equipment, delivery organizations etc. that were developed as a result of the research, and from which the public would be able to benefit, could be established from part of the sum, and continue to raise revenue in terms of books, courses and equipment sold, which could potentially fund continuing R&D.
But yet again, I can foresee a large windfall being spent on houses, cruises, holidays, parties, cars and champagne. If you award such a sum to those of average ability and average disposition, that is what will inevitably happen.
I have heard it said that extraordinary ability needs extraordinary opportunity. Clearly, the Euromillions number-picking machine didn’t get that memo.
