How often do you enter contests for a prize?
I read that Samuel L. Jackson complained he never won a contest draw, and in contrast Scarlett Johansson is so blessed with lady luck she drew her own name in a draw that she was promoting (she was nice enough to redraw again). In some extremes, a Japanese game show had a man who could only consume and eat what he won from contests (he nearly starved to death but luckily won a bag of rice).
With the dreary gloom of the economy high on our heads, articles and ads promoting how to increase your likelihood to win freebies have been as popular as ever. I have won... maybe twice in my lifetime and prizes of paltry value. Nonetheless I was happy as could be, even if it wasn't something I really wanted (which I gave away). The sheer excitement of winning was such a splendid adrenaline rush that I still do occasionally enter draws in the hopes that I will win something for doing absolutely nothing.
There are those that are born with the Midas touch, like Mrs. Reynolds they have the astounding habit of stumbling into good fortune wherever they turn.
It always irks me to hear of a wealthy entrant winning a car, trip or even a house when they don't need it, but it's far worse when I discover the person never put the cash to good use. I was aghast when I read that there are many lotto winners who are now living near the poverty line. Where in the heck did all that green go? Article below...
From what many of the lucky winners have said, winning brands you as the ultimate mark for hucksters, con artists and long lost relatives you never knew you had. Fortunately Australia has learned the harsh lesson, and since the 1960 kidnapping of Graeme Thorne, winners remain anonymous. In Canada we are not slapped with the gruesome 50% tax afterwards that some winners try to evade (now that IS foolish), then again our prizes are significantly smaller.
As Vegas, Dubai, and Monaco suffer from their decadence you can be sure of one thing, it's human nature to always wish for the genie in the lamp because the mirage of greener pastures will always remain.
