Think positively 

If you’re entering contests with the pre-conceived notion that you’ll never win anything, chances are you won’t. Think positively and use expressions like I am, I can, and I will. Pretty soon, you’ll find that there is a change in your overall attitude in life, and good things can definitely come of that. Plus, you might win a few contests while you’re at it, too!

Expect to win

If you enter contests all the time, you should expect to win. “If I go to bed at night and have not won anything that day, I am genuinely disappointed,” says Carolyn. Disappointment and not always winning are part of the game, but expecting to win will make you more attentive to the signs that you have won; watch your emails closely (especially your junk mail) and your missed calls, too!

Feel like a winner

Focus all of your energy on the idea that you’re going to win. Feeling like a winner means convincing yourself that you are one. A good way to do this is to visualize yourself actually winning some (or a lot!) of the contests that you’ve entered. For some inspiration on how to do this, Carolyn suggests checking out The Secret, a book and movie, about the Law of Attraction. According to this law, your thoughts determine your destiny, so if you think and feel like a winner, you’ll necessarily end up winning somewhere down the line. 

Have good ‘chi’ flowing inside and out

Chi is a fundamental concept of everyday Chinese culture. Literally, it means “air” or “breath”, but it is also used to signify “life force” or “spiritual energy” in a more metaphorical sense. In many Asian belief systems, chi needs to be in perfect balance within and around us to find happiness. This can be achieved in various ways such as meditation, yoga, alternative medicine and concepts like feng shui. In short, having a good chi all around implies that all aspects of your life are part of a well-balanced whole. And of course, the better your energy, the more positive you’ll be, and the more likely you are to win. 

Share with others

Deepak Chopra wrote a book entitled The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, it includes a principle that the Contest Queen firmly believes in: the more you share, the more you win (although logically, the opposite should be true—more people participating means reduced odds of winning). She goes by the motto “I can’t lose helping others win,” especially since so many contests out there offer you an extra chance at the prize if you refer friends. Carolyn shares as many contests as she can, and she firmly believes that this has contributed to her winning so many of them. In fact, she believes in it so much that she and three other contesters have formed the Canadian Contesters Association to help people share contests, tips, and tricks through a bi-weekly newsletter.

Don’t cheat

You reap what you sow. Be kind to others, and they’ll be kind to you; it’s the basic principle of karma, and the concept is pretty simple. Carolyn believes in the expression “cheaters never win”. If you cheat when entering a contest, there is a chance you may win something—but you’ll definitely lose somewhere else down the line. Plus, the joys of winning with a guilty conscience are nowhere near as exhilarating as when you’ve won through sheer luck: give it some thought! 

Enter, enter, enter…

This goes without saying: how can you expect to win if you don’t enter? It’s just like meeting men; you won’t meet Mr. Right if you’re not putting yourself out there. The more you enter contests and giveaways, the more chances you’ll have of winning them!
Good luck!

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