Wheel of Fortune Versus Planning & Working Towards Dreams

Why Do People of All Ages Love Wheel of Fortune?

Who in America Doesn't Recognize

     Pat Sajak & Vanna White?

Thought for the day: Are you wishing you were luckier? Do you blame fate or the economy for keeping you from accomplishing what you want in life? Are you discouraged when dreams don't happen quickly? If you feel that way, you are not alone. Our society may be undermining your journey towards your dreams by the allure of immediate gratification versus planning & working to attain dreams. I'd love to hear how this impacts on you & will be Live on the radio on 5/17/2012 to answer your questions (see details at the end of this post).

I admit it, I am a closet Wheel of Fortune addict. I don't watch much TV, but watching Wheel of Fortune is an almost daily event for me. I record the show & fast-forward through commercials, but love to compete with the contestants. I like to think it is a way to stay young & an insurance policy against alzeheimers, but it is more. The show premiered in 1975 & is the longest-running syndicated game show on American TV.  My grandmother, who watched it daily, introduced me on to it during a visit in the 1970's. I began watching regularly when I moved back to the U.S. in the 80's. From Pat Sajac's natural ability to joke with contestants, to Vanna White's elaborate wardrobe, to the prospect of winning trips & money & to the puzzles, what makes the show so popular with people of all ages?

The psychology of this game show's success appears to be related to our wish for dreams to come true magically. Yesterday's bonus round puzzle was: __ __ __ __ __   __ __ N __ after they gave the contestant the letters R, S, T, N, L  & E. He chose the letters M, C, D, A & the bonus letter G. What he had before his attempt to solve the puzzle was M A G __ C     __ A N D. He guessed Magic & then got stuck guessing, "hand, band, sand..." Just after the buzzer, he figured out the word, "Wand," for the solution of "Magic Wand." (Which I, & probably 99% of the audience, already solved.)

Are You Disappointed When Dreams
      Don't Happen Magically

Oddly enough, the feeling of having a magic wand is what the show seems to give to all viewers. Even though the likelihood of a Wheel Watcher Club fan winning is miniscule, the vicarious prospect of winning keeps fans keep coming back. Like any addiction, gambling, drugs or any habit for that matter, if every now & then you or someone wins, you will return for another chance to win.

Since this is a word game show, much like Jeopardy, there is another element to winning beyond luck. Winners must also be skilled at word games. Without a great vocabulary & problem solving abilities, contestants could not solve the puzzles. So a combination of intelligence, skill & luck is necessary for success in this game.

In the game of life, some people place more emphasis on fate & fortune & see themselves as failures when their dreams don't come true as quickly as they would like. Rarely do not they know how long & hard others may have worked to reach their dreams. When people attain their dreams too quickly, they often do not know what to do next nor do they appreciate their accomplishments. Sadly, stories of people winning the lottery & ending up bankrupt are well documented. How many movie & sports stars have squandered their wealth on drugs & alcohol? The saying, "easy come, easy go," arose in response to these kinds of magic wand accomplishments.

The word success is intentionally avoided in my book. Even though there are many best sellers based on the promise of "quick success," I see "wake up" dreams as a journey which requires planning & hard work, not instant gratification. People have asked whether it works like the theories proposed in the book The Secret using the law of attraction. Those theories are more like the Wheel of Fortune approach than mine. I believe that once you start on your journey, new opportunities may present themselves, but it is not some magical attraction that makes these opportunities arise. It is hard work & intention that brings you into new arenas & introduces you to new people & places.

Are you discouraged when dreams don't happen quickly? Have you had a lucky break & then lost it or not appreciated the accomplishment? Tomorrow, May 17th, 2012, 2 PM EDST, I will be on a live radio show with Coach Marla www.rsdcoachlive.com. If you would like to ask questions about this or other things I have discussed in my blog, you can call 347-324-5661. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue & how it affects you.

The Voice Silenced: How Can We Stop the Plague of Addictions

 

The Voice of Whitney Houston Silenced

Thought for the day: Whitney Houston, "the Voice" was silenced yesterday. How many actors, singers, musicians & athletes in addition to ordinary people will perish before we overcome the epidemic of drug & alcohol addictions that plagues our society. I don't have all the answers, but some changes in education, advertizing practices & support from treatment programs like Green Demolitions could help. What ideas do you have? I don't believe in prohibition but what we are doing now is not working. How can our society build a respectful expectation for moderation & a reduction of alcohol consumption.

I started to write another blog post before I heard of the death of Whitney Houston. Although the cause of death is not clear, it is common knowledge that she suffered from a drug addiction. I feel compelled to change the post & focus on the epidemic of drug & alcohol addiction in this country. Over the course of my career, I have seen the impact addictions have on addicts & their families. The news is filled with stories of young rising stars in film, television, sports & music who turn to drugs & alcohol to deal with the stresses of notoriety. I am not sure whether the statistics would reveal higher percentages of alcohol & drug addictions among the wealthy elite or whether they are representative of the problem in all socioeconomic classes. However, rapid rise in fame & fortune may lead to easier access to expensive drugs & a higher incidence of addictions. Since stars are also role models for our youth, the problem impacts on all levels of society. Education, changes in advertizing & increased treatment programs are the keys to addressing this problem.

Here are some facts about alcohol & other drugs. First, the number one drug in the United States & the world is alcohol. The alcohol industry has succeeded in fooling people into believing that other drugs are different from alcohol. This is simply not true, alcohol is a drug with the same addictive traits as all the illegal & pharmaceutical drugs. Addictions are also physiological diseases like diabetes & heart conditions. Addicts need help & treatment programs to control the disease which never disappears. Once you are addicted, it does not go away, even after years of sobriety. Some people are predisposed genetically to become addicted to alcohol & other drugs. If one of your parents suffered from an addiction, your chances of becoming addicted are 50%. Your odds of marrying someone with problems with substance abuse are also 50%. The 1st odds are due to your biology; the 2nd, are due to psychological & environmental issues. If you have the physiological disposition, you may become addicted from your 1st drink. The younger you are when you start drinking, the higher the chances that you will become addicted (whether or not you have the physiological predisposition). Alcohol is a depressant, although it gives an initial high & reduces inhibitions, it is followed by depressive symptoms & a hangover if you drink too much. This is why when someone is depressed & drinks they are a high suicide risk.

Given these facts, schools need to help children understand the risks in experimenting with alcohol. Parents need to work with schools & the advertizing industry towards removal of false ads promoting alcohol as if it will make you happy, wealthy & popular. They also need to fight to ban advertizing from sports events & TV programs aired when children are watching. The cost of this epidemic is not only to those who are addicted. Drug & alcohol related accidents on our roads take the lives of innocent bystanders who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Although therapy is not always successful in treating addictions, a combination of individual & family therapy, AA or NA & hospital programs can help. I'd like to share a success story.  It is the story of someone who not only overcame an addiction, he is devoting his life to recycling building materials & recycling lives by helping recovering addicts & their families. Steve Feldman is a recovered addict. He was a teenage drug & alcohol abuser who had suffered two bouts of serious suicidal depression. He was also a man whose life was saved twenty-four years ago through a recovery program. His nonprofit organization, Green Demolitions, serves four different diverse populations: 1) They employ a “Green Team,” of skilled workers, 2) They help “Do-it-Yourselfers,” install luxury kitchens & renovation items in their homes at very affordable prices; 3) They provide economic stimulus for kitchen, bath, & home products to “Industry Professionals,” & 4) They help addicts & their families by offering therapeutic recovery opportunities worldwide. Click here to read more about Steve & Green Demolitions or to purchase the book & support their programs.

What programs are you familiar with? How would you propose to help stop the epidemic of addictions?

You Can Judge a Book by It's Back Cover!

My Grandmother, Minnie Crane Bloomfield

Thought for the day: Everyone knows you can't judge a book by it's cover. So why did I just say you can judge a book by it's back cover? In order to support 21 charities, I have 22 versions of the same book with just 3 differences. The only one you can see is on the back cover. Read on to see why.  Do you have any solutions to this dilemma?

My grandmother was an avid reader. Although it was not her mother tongue, she spoke English with no accent. She had a vocabulary many native Americans would envy & read every reading assignment I had as well as any book I purchased. She taught me at a very young age not to judge a book by it's cover. She also used the well known saying, along with "Beauty is only skin deep," to teach me to get to know people & not to judge them by external appearances. Real beauty lies inside human beings. To me, my grandmother was one of the most beautiful people I have ever known. When I would tell her she was beautiful, she would smile & tell me that I must love her. She was self conscious about what she saw as a crooked smile due to botched dental surgery performed in the old country.

One Cover 22 Books

So, I know that what is written inside a book is what is most important. However, with my book, The Wake Up And Dream Challenge, I have a strange dilemma. It may look like one book with the same cover, but it is actually 22 different books which will help different causes reach different dreams. One version will help fight prejudice, one will help families dealing with travel expenses while treating their children for cancer, another will help reduce recidivism among ex-convicts. The list goes on & on. Each book helps another worthy cause saving lives, fighting poverty, overcoming addictions & disabilities. Even though the content of every book is the same, each of the different versions donates to a different cause. The only way to know what you are donating 1/2 of the profits from the purchase of the book to is to make sure you have clicked the link associated to the charity of your choice & check for the logo on the back cover of the book.

The author page for my book on Lulu.com looks very confusing to say the least. All the books look exactly the same. If you know the name of the charity you can search for the appropriate book. If you do not, you need to click on the book cover to get to the preview & then read the preview till you reach the information about the charity & of course the back cover.

In this day & age of instant internet gratification, where people spend seconds on web pages to decide whether to purchase something or make a donation, my dream to help multiple causes is a bit of a marketing nightmare. I am hoping that people will take the time to get to know the book, understand the concept, read the entire preview & see the back cover. Although there is one copy, #22, that divides 1/2 of the profits equally into 21 parts, this is not the way I envisioned helping these amazing programs.

I welcome your ideas & suggestions. With this blog, I am trying to educate my potential readers, so that they can help the charity that is closest to their heart. I will be adding the books to Amazon.com soon. Perhaps their system will help with this issue. In the mean time I hope you will take the time to get to know the book by it's covers.