The winner (if any) of Friday’s Mega Millions lottery drawing will instantly become one of the richest people in the world, with a jackpot that tops a cool $1.25 billion. While it’s well-documented that winning the lottery doesn’t necessarily result in a life of eternal happiness, it’s impossible not to daydream about what you’d do with such a life-changing windfall. But before you get carried away thinking about which mansions you’ll buy, you need a plan to best prepare yourself for a stress-free life of financial freedom. So, if you do win, what are the first things you should do?

To find out, we asked Dr. Robert Pagliarini, president and chief financial advisor of Pacifica Wealth Management and author of The Sudden Wealth Solution: 12 Principles to Transform Sudden Wealth Into Lasting Wealth. Pagliarini has 24 years of experience advising lottery winners and has some top tips for your to-do list as you become super rich.

Pagliarini's first piece of advice for the newly minted lottery winner is simple: Just breathe. "You have some life-changing decisions to make that will require your full mental capacity," he says. "You don't want fear, excitement, nerves or anxiety to cloud your judgment. Tell yourself that you might go crazy with excitement later, but right now you have a job to do."

Once you have understood your almost impossible stroke of luck, the next most important step to take is to keep your winning ticket safe. After all, you didn’t win the lottery, you bought the ticket.