Does One Big Fat Prize Motivate You?

Chances are high that you will have seen some form of email arrive in your inbox over the last few weeks inciting you to take part in the latest  sweepstake, lottery or competition for ‘a chance to win…..’.

Many of these competitions have ‘One Big Fat Prize’, in other words the kind of headline grabbing prize that makes you go ‘wow’. That could be an all-expenses paid trip to the Caribbean, a make-over for your home from a leading designer or even a Breville Snack and Sandwich Maker!

OK, we are joking about the sandwich maker. But you get the picture. One person gets its all.

The real question is do these ‘winner takes all’ prizes really motivate you to take part? Do you work out the maths in your head and realise your chances of winning are infinitely slim? Do you think you are that unlucky guy or girl that is bound to always fall just one place short of that prize you dreamed of? After all, we have all seen that housewife from Milton Keynes appearing on Day Time TV who does nothing but win competition after competition. How can you