The Heart of the Matter: Entering the Sweepstakes

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June 21, 2009
Entering the Sweepstakes

When I was a kid I used to enter Sweepstakes all the time.

Here's how it worked: I'd be flipping through one of my parent's magazines when I'd see a huge, double-page spread with lots of smiling people having just won a NEW HOUSE! or a LUXURY YACHT! or a FABULOUS VACATION FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!

I couldn't believe my eyes.

I mean, how difficult was this going to be? All I had to do was fill out that little magazine form or write "Burry's Chocolate Chip Cookies" on a "reasonable facsimile" 3x5 index card.

And the fine print said I could enter as many times as I liked. Dude, how could I possibly lose?

Oh, that feeling of walking to the mailbox and dropping in my stack of 25. And even if I didn't win, second place was a cool $50,000. God was good.

I never won a thing.

In a curious way, this LIFE AS A FABULOUS SWEEPSTAKES concept has had its hold on more people than just me as an 11-year old.

From what I can tell, lots of my fellow earthlings keep filling out those 3x5 index cards and dropping them into the mailbox -- but instead of "Burry's Chocolate Chip Cookies" they're writing "Soul Mate" or "Financial Security" or "Drop Ten Pounds.'

OK. So there's nothing wrong with entering contests. But it's not the contests I'm talking about. It's the belief that there's something to win that's going to improve our life in a truly meaningful way.

Here's the deal, Monte:

You've already won the SWEEPSTAKES! And that big OVERSIZED CHECK with all those fabulous zeros after the "1" -- is actually being delivered to your front door every moment of the day.

All you have to do is answer the knock.

Really! I'm not kidding. You've already won! Sail on that yacht!

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at June 21, 2009 11:41 PM