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There is no secret to winning the lottery. The only surefire way to get yourself a winning ticket is to be incredibly lucky.

Earlier this year, Kimberly Morris of Wake Forest, North Carolina, won the lottery twice in one day and she can attest that there is nothing to victory but chance. "I wasn't really expecting much," she says. "I just enjoy playing the lottery."

If you do win big, however, there are clear rules experts suggest you follow and traps to avoid. So here's hoping that you win big in the new year, and here are three ways to really beat the odds - by making sure your winnings don't go to waste.

Keep quiet

The first thing that experts recommend winners do is to keep quiet. "I would recommend not telling people," says Nick Holeman, certified financial planner at Betterment. "I wouldn't necessarily go broadcasting it to the world."

Holeman says that coming forward too early can lead to hasty decisions and can make lottery winners targets of crime and greed.

Lottery winners typically have three months to present their ticket, but they often come forward much more quickly.

For instance, when Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts, won the $758.7 million Powerball jackpot earlier this year, she spoke with the press in less than 24 hours.

Boston Globe | Getty Images

Move slowly

Experts also suggest not making any rash life changes. The CFP Board of Standards says nearly one-third of lottery winners eventually declare bankruptcy and lottery winners are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three to five years than the average American.

That's often because winners can become reckless with their newfound wealth. In order to avoid a harsh fate, lottery winners should not make any hasty decisions.

That is why former social worker Sandra Hayes maintains a frugal lifestyle even after winning a $224 million Powerball jackpot with a dozen of her coworkers.

"I know a lot of people who won the lottery and are broke today," she said. "If you're not disciplined, you will go broke. I don't care how much money you have."

Stephanie Keith | Reuters

Be strategic

Powerball winners are able to collect their winnings as a lump sum prize or in a series of payments over 30 years, known as an annuity. Holeman says the annuity is the smart choice.

"If you get a huge lump sum, it's easier to make a mistake, whereas if you choose the annuity, then at least if you mess up and blow the first year's worth, you have another chance."

Jim Cramer, on the other hand, thinks the lump sum option is the right choice, arguing that you want to put as much money as possible to work for you as soon as possible.

"Take the money all at once," the CNBC " Mad Money" host said. "Don't let them string it out like that. You want the time value of all that cash working for you. That's vital."

No matter which you choose, thinking strategically can help you avoid making the same mistakes of winners past.
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What to do if you win the lottery in 2018

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There is no secret to winning the lottery. The only surefire way to get yourself a winning ticket is to be incredibly lucky. Earlier this year, Kimberly Morris of Wake Forest, North Carolina, won the lottery twice in one day and she can attest that there is nothing to victory but chance.

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Life is both a journey and an education.

In 2012, I started hitchiking through Europe on my own. I have learnt a lot about the world from my travels and have an infinite amount more to learn.

Here are a few new things that I learnt on my recent journey.

You Are Never Truly Alone

When you are most alone, you make more friends than you could possibly imagine. No matter how hard I tried to get away from everything, people were always around. And many of them were wonderful. I made a video featuring some of the wonderful people that I met on my journey, but this didn't even come close to the hundreds, probably thousands of people that I interacted with on my journey. I was driven by over 200 individuals and for one week, wrote down the names of people I interacted positively with. It was around 50 people. This happened continuously for many months.

You Are Not the First

Whatever you do and however far you push yourself, there will always be someone who has done more. I started hitchhiking and free-camping alone because I thought that no-one else would want such a thing. I met many other people doing exactly the same as me and when I was in Lithuania, I attended a festival of hitchhikers with well over a hundred people in one place. It was strangely comforting.

Eating From Bins is OK

All the food is wrapped and often thrown away that day. Skipping (dumpster diving) was something that I had only heard of in passing, but recent inspection has led me to believe that it is not the poor people who do it. Rather it is a slightly more affluent section of society who hate to see waste.

Sleeping Outside is OK

On my first night on the road, I was left on the outskirts of Brussels at four in the morning. I found an abandoned building and slept in the garden. I slept in many different places on my journey and found that free-camping (sleeping outside) was liberating and freed me of the need to organise a bed in advance. I even made a short video showing myself sleeping under bridges, on beaches, inside bushes, and wherever else I found myself in the evening.

The Sun is Your Friend

As a free-camping hitchhiker, the cold is your enemy. It is physically dangerous if you do not have appropriate clothing and as winter closed in, all I could do was head South. I met a guy on the road who wrote The Sunhitcher which is in strong agreement with this.

Don't Make Decisions When You're Sad

When suffering from negative emotions due to fear, loneliness, or personal discomfort, your decision making skills are fundamentally screwed. You will make decisions that will affect you adversely in the future. Hold tight, let the bad times pass and make a decision when life feels better. If you are experiencing feelings of happiness and joy, don't hesitate to make decisions. They will be great.

You Don't Need Money

It is very possible to travel without money. My experiences and the people that I met have helped me to see this.

Don't Let Your Travel Insurance Expire

I let my travel insurance expire and it caused me problems. I will comment on this in greater detail through my story, but for now, I strongly advise travel insurance.

There Are Always Purists

Whatever you do and however hard you try, someone will always do more. They will travel bigger distances, meet more people, and spend less money. Remember that life is not a competition. You do not need to compete with these people and you must do whatever it is that suits you.

There Are Always Haters

Whatever you do, people will always be able to criticise you. This stands true for everything in life. Some people (unfortunately) take great pleasure in knocking others down.

Taking Pictures of Yourself Isn't Fun

Having a friend makes pictures more fun. For many parts of my trip, I never took photos because I was too lazy to get the camera out to take a photo of myself.

I Kind of Like Rats

They are almost cute.

I have compiled a lot more of my learnings into The Avant-Garde Life. You can download it and read it for free and I hope that my small idle learnings can help to benefit others. It includes life education that I received from all over the world, not just hitchhiking through Europe. Please read it!

Life is both a journey and an education.

In 2012, I started hitchiking through Europe on my own. I have learnt a lot about the world from my travels and have an infinite amount more to learn.

Here are a few new things that I learnt on my recent journey.

You Are Never Truly Alone

When you are most alone, you make more friends than you could possibly imagine. No matter how hard I tried to get away from everything, people were always around. And many of them were wonderful. I made a video featuring some of the wonderful people that I met on my journey, but this didn't even come close to the hundreds, probably thousands of people that I interacted with on my journey. I was driven by over 200 individuals and for one week, wrote down the names of people I interacted positively with. It was around 50 people. This happened continuously for many months.

You Are Not the First

Whatever you do and however far you push yourself, there will always be someone who has done more. I started hitchhiking and free-camping alone because I thought that no-one else would want such a thing. I met many other people doing exactly the same as me and when I was in Lithuania, I attended a festival of hitchhikers with well over a hundred people in one place. It was strangely comforting.

Eating From Bins is OK

All the food is wrapped and often thrown away that day. Skipping (dumpster diving) was something that I had only heard of in passing, but recent inspection has led me to believe that it is not the poor people who do it. Rather it is a slightly more affluent section of society who hate to see waste.

Sleeping Outside is OK

On my first night on the road, I was left on the outskirts of Brussels at four in the morning. I found an abandoned building and slept in the garden. I slept in many different places on my journey and found that free-camping (sleeping outside) was liberating and freed me of the need to organise a bed in advance. I even made a short video showing myself sleeping under bridges, on beaches, inside bushes, and wherever else I found myself in the evening.

The Sun is Your Friend

As a free-camping hitchhiker, the cold is your enemy. It is physically dangerous if you do not have appropriate clothing and as winter closed in, all I could do was head South. I met a guy on the road who wrote The Sunhitcher which is in strong agreement with this.

Don't Make Decisions When You're Sad

When suffering from negative emotions due to fear, loneliness, or personal discomfort, your decision making skills are fundamentally screwed. You will make decisions that will affect you adversely in the future. Hold tight, let the bad times pass and make a decision when life feels better. If you are experiencing feelings of happiness and joy, don't hesitate to make decisions. They will be great.

You Don't Need Money

It is very possible to travel without money. My experiences and the people that I met have helped me to see this.

Don't Let Your Travel Insurance Expire

I let my travel insurance expire and it caused me problems. I will comment on this in greater detail through my story, but for now, I strongly advise travel insurance.

There Are Always Purists

Whatever you do and however hard you try, someone will always do more. They will travel bigger distances, meet more people, and spend less money. Remember that life is not a competition. You do not need to compete with these people and you must do whatever it is that suits you.

There Are Always Haters

Whatever you do, people will always be able to criticise you. This stands true for everything in life. Some people (unfortunately) take great pleasure in knocking others down.

Taking Pictures of Yourself Isn't Fun

Having a friend makes pictures more fun. For many parts of my trip, I never took photos because I was too lazy to get the camera out to take a photo of myself.

I Kind of Like Rats

They are almost cute.

I have compiled a lot more of my learnings into The Avant-Garde Life. You can download it and read it for free and I hope that my small idle learnings can help to benefit others. It includes life education that I received from all over the world, not just hitchhiking through Europe. Please read it!

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Things I Learnt by Hitchhiking Europe Alone | Great Big Scary World

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Life is both a journey and an education. In 2012, I started hitchiking through Europe on my own. I have learnt a lot about the world from my travels and have an infinite amount more to learn. Here are a few new things that I learnt on my recent journey.

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United States Marine Corps Recruit Training - Marine Recruit Depot San Diego Boot Camp

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United States Marine Corps Recruit Training - Marine Recruit Depot San Diego Boot Camp Welcome to the United States Marine Corps Recruit Training at the Marine Recruit Depot, San Diego. MCRD San Diego's main mission is the initial training of enlisted male recruits living west of the Mississippi River.

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Fire-Medical Department | Official Website - Surprise, Arizona

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The Surprise Fire-Medical Department has received the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks. Read more...

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Catherine walking without her walker. New Bern, NC

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Derek Bryan

Based in Cleveland, Derek Bryan has been writing professionally since 2009. Focusing on nutrition, health and fitness, Bryan has been featured on several notable health-related websites, including CAMCommons.com. Bryan holds an English degree from the Ohio State University, with a specialty in rhetoric and composition.

Eating junk food regularly is linked to obesity and chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, but many people still choose junk food sources over their healthy, nutritious whole food counterparts. Junk food is typically cheap, processed and prepackaged, making it easily available, but there are several psychological motivators that predispose people to choosing it as a meal or snack.

Video of the Day

Busy schedules often diminish the amount of time people have to prepare healthy, nutritious meals, so they opt for faster, easier options. Whole foods such as vegetables and meat take time and kitchen equipment to cook properly, while fast food hamburgers are usually served within minutes of ordering. Over time, that convenience becomes a habit and eventually a perceived necessity to keep up with such a fast-paced society. Disrupting that routine requires an investment of time, and most people prefer to stick with the faster option.

A peripheral result of this fast-paced culture is increased levels of stress and anxiety. Increased stress levels cause the body to expend more energy, stimulating hunger for calorie-dense sustenance and driving people to eat fatty, sugary junk food. High levels of anxiety also cause people to seek out junk food as a means of comfort. When stressed, people look for ways to calm themselves, and junk food's positive effects on the reward center of the brain make it a comforting go-to choice.

There is also evidence to suggest that sleep deprivation motivates people to choose junk foods over healthy foods. When sleep is restricted, the primal reward center of the brain becomes more active while executive functions of the frontal lobes become more suppressed. This effectively diminishes willpower, making people more likely to seek out foods high in fat and sugar, which are logically poor choices that trigger the reward center.

People may also choose junk food simply because they have developed a mild physical dependence on it. Studies show that binge eating foods high in sugar or fat results in neurochemical changes in the brain similar to those that develop in drug addiction. According to a study published in "Physiology and Behavior" in October 2011, rats that habitually eat foods high in sugar and fat mentally crave more of those substances and experience withdrawal-like symptoms if they do not get access to it. After developing the habit, people may be neurochemically driven to choose junk food.

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Reasons People Eat Junk Food Instead of Healthy Food

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Eating junk food regularly is linked to obesity and chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, but many people still choose junk food sources over their healthy, nutritious whole food counterparts. Junk food is typically cheap, processed and prepackaged, making it easily available, but there are several psychological motivators that...

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If you don't enjoy high school and dread attending classes each day, you might wonder what could be so bad about dropping out. There are many reasons why you should stay in school until graduation day. Weighing these advantages against the numerous disadvantages of not earning a diploma might motivate you to finish.

Expanded Opportunities

Most colleges and technical schools will not admit you without a high school diploma. If you hope to pursue a specific career, such as web developer, mental health counselor or financial consultant, higher education generally is a must. Compared to dropouts, those who completed their education with at least a high school credential have larger median incomes ($46,000 versus $25,000), lower unemployment rate, higher tax contribution, lower rate of criminal activity and a lower reliance on welfare. As a result, individuals with at least a high school credential can expect to earn $670,000 more in income over their lifetime than those who drop out.

Better Jobs

Almost all jobs that pay more than minimum wage require a high school diploma. Without it, you're more likely to be stuck in jobs with lower pay and less chances of being promoted. According to the Center for Public Education, high school dropouts are less likely to receive health benefits and retirement plans from any job they are able to secure. With a high school diploma or a college or technical degree, you're more likely to land a job that provides a higher salary as well as health insurance and retirement benefits.

More Opportunities

A high school diploma also offers more lifetime opportunities outside of the job sector. You're more likely to live above the poverty line, which means you'll be able to apply for loans to buy a home or pay for higher education. You won't be as likely to need public assistance, either. With a high school diploma, you're more likely to live in a neighborhood with a low crime rate and to stay out of trouble with the law yourself. In fact, high school graduates are six times less likely to be institutionalized than high school dropouts.

Additional Incentives

Graduating from high school will help boost your confidence and self-esteem. It also helps protect your physical health, because you're more likely to have access to medical care and have the funds to pay for it. When you graduate, you can act as a role model to younger siblings, relatives and friends, and that might encourage them to stay in school. Finishing high school gives you the chance to learn a variety of things. The more you learn, the more well-rounded you'll be. You'll also increase the odds of discovering something you're passionate enough about to dedicate your life to it.

About the Author

Sara Ipatenco has taught writing, health and nutrition. She started writing in 2007 and has been published in Teaching Tolerance magazine. Ipatenco holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education, both from the University of Denver.

Photo Credits

Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

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Reasons to Graduate From High School | Synonym

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If you don't enjoy high school and dread attending classes each day, you might wonder what could be so bad about dropping out. There are many reasons why you should stay in school until graduation day. Weighing these advantages against the numerous disadvantages of not earning a diploma might motivate you to finish.

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The Physical Therapy Department at The CORE Institute is a dedicated team of rehabilitation professionals with extensive clinical experience across the entire spectrum of orthopedic and sports medicine care for all ages and activity levels. We remain committed to effective utilization of evidence-based principles to develop treatment plans in accordance with the latest research to effectively address associated functional limitations and disabilities. As part of The CORE Institute team, we pride ourselves on maintaining effective communication with our elite team of physicians, thus ensuring that you, the patient, receive the highest quality of care possible.

We currently offer physical therapy in Arizona at our Sun City West, Peoria, North Phoenix and Gilbert locations and will be expanding throughout the Valley.

*Physical Therapy services may be limited to certain insurance providers. Please contact us for more information by calling our Physical Therapy Department at 623.537.5661 or by emailing us.

Employment

The CORE Institute Physical Therapy Department welcomes inquiries about employment possibilities from highly motivated clinicians dedicated to providing the utmost in patient centered care for orthopedic patients across the lifespan. We currently are recruiting for: Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, and Athletic Trainers. Please check our Careers page for more information.

Contact The CORE Institute today for more information about our physical therapy in Arizona, our mission, patient and visitor information, our research and more.

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Physical Therapy Arizona | The CORE Institute

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The Physical Therapy Department at The CORE Institute is a dedicated team of rehabilitation professionals with extensive clinical experience across the entire spectrum of orthopedic and sports medicine care for all ages and activity levels. We remain committed to effective utilization of evidence-based principles to develop treatment plans in accordance with the latest research to effectively address associated functional limitations and disabilities.