Should a millionaire be allowed to win the lottery?

You have to play to win.
A little bit of luck…a lot of persistance.

Driving to work today I heard on the radio that the owner of Marriott’s son, heir to the Marriott millions, won 109 million dollars playing the lottery. There was a debate as to whether or not that was fair. My gut reaction was to think “that’s not fair; he’s already rich and doesn’t need the money!” After thinking about it for 10 more seconds I had to laugh and remember I rarely play the lottery and the lottery isn’t biased so I guess you have to play to win.

It also reminded me of many conversations I have had with retailers over the past 2 years. It’s been a tough economy and spending habits for your consumers are trending more towards the unpredictable. This can pose a challenge and cause angst on trying new lines, spending in order to make money and many of you may be questioning what made you sign up to be a retail store owner in the first place. It can be battles in all of our heads, but at the end of the day we have remember you have to play to win.

Many of your know I am a runner, and with the change in leaves during fall came my annual marathon. This year I ran Steamtown, PA on October 9th. During my pre-race 20 miler I had several thoughts of quitting and flat out asked myself “why do you put yourself through this torture?” Trust me when you are mile 18 of a 20 mile run your brain takes over! Anyway, I had to physically shake my head and remind myself about my love for running, the joy it brings me, the friends I have made and the positive impact it has had on my career (that being my sanity). So I pushed through the last 2 miles and was able to say my work for that run was done! My persistence helped me attain my goal.

I want you all to think about these two points:

You can’t win unless you play. This is a direct correlation to your habits as a store owner. Are you doing things to drum up business or are you sitting waiting for people to walk by? Go find your winning ticket, but remember sometimes you play for a while before you reap any rewards.
Stay persistent in your pursuit. This doesn’t mean doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results it simply means keep your eye on your goals and continue to push through the factors which make it difficult to succeed.

You can do it! I believe in you.