Magic of Believing

Life is either a daring adventure - or nothing!  -  Helene Hadsell

No, this is not a scene from Leave it to Beaver, or The Brady Bunch.  This is the family of Helene Hadsell, enjoying their new home in 1969.  The 4300 sq ft home was built in Irving, Texas at an estimated cost of $50,000, which back then was a lot of house.  What makes this family and their new home so interesting, is they won it.  

In the New York World's Fair of 1964, the Formica Corporation sponsored a nationwide contest, with the grand prize being a copy of the World's Fair Home, plus the lot, built anywhere in the US the winner chooses.  Of course, out of 1.5 Million entries, Helene and Pat Hadsell won. 

What makes this story - rather unusual - besides the fact they won, is that she KNEW she was going to win.  Without a doubt.  In fact, she had her husband take the day off work, because 'she knew' the Formica People were coming over that day to tell them they had won.  She told her husband, "For God sake's, act surprised!"  The phone did ring later that day, the Vice President for the company was waiting for Mr. Hadsell to get home from work, because he had some 'interesting news' for them.  Imagine his surprise when Helene told him that her husband was already home.  "Oh yes, he's here, he took the day off. "   Soon after the representatives arrived, and informed the lucky couple they had indeed won the home,  they were even more surprised when the Hadsells presented them with the plans for their new home.  "Uh...you have plans?" the VP asked.    "Oh yes" said Helene, "We been planning a new home".  She just left out the part where they were expecting Formica to pay for it.

You might say that Helene was very lucky to win that home.  But - you would be mistaken - in that 'luck' had nothing to do with it.  Like I said, Helene KNEW she was going to win.  She always wins.  Every contest she has entered - she has won.  She has won cars, furniture, stereos, musical instruments, clothing, groceries, trips to Europe..... 

Whenever Helene sees something that she wants, she finds a contest that is giving that particular something away, and she wins it.  She told her husband that she wanted to be sitting in a sidewalk cafe, in Paris, sipping a glass of wine on her 40th birthday.  Several months before her birthday she entered a contest sponsored by a cola company, "Where in the World do you Want to Go, and Why?"  Helene won...... 3rd prize, a Hammond Organ.  Nice, but not what she wanted.  Not giving up, she entered another contest sponsored by a Men's Sportsware Company giving away trips to Europe.  This time she entered twice, her entry was for Paris, and her husband's entry was for Venice.  While she waited, her and her husband went out and got their shots and passports.  Talk about belief!  One month before her birthday, she won the trip to Venice, with a stopover in Paris.  

Helene's lucky streak began in 1958 while she was reading "The Power of Positive Thinking", by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.  She became excited when she read, "You can have anything you want, provided you know what you want".  Her husband was reading a popular fishing magazine and she excitedly told him, "We can have whatever we want!"    He replied while pointing to the magazine, "Fine, I'd like this outboard motor..."  She entered a contest and won it.  

Today, Helene is 84yrs old and is still as feisty as ever.  Her list of personal friends include the late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the late Dr. Joseph Murphy (The Power of Your Subconscious Mind), the late Jose Silva (Silva Mind Control), and even Joe Vitale from the blockbuster movie, The Secret.

According to Helene, the key is a well know, although mysterious concept in Positive Thinking: 

Picture the thing you desire as having already happened or taken place.

"They practically hit you over the head with it in all the motivational and inspirational books", Helene says, "and still not that many people actually do it.  See clearly in your mind how the Rose Bowl Parade is going to look on that new color TV.  Savor the sizzle of that Roast as you take it out of that shiny new microwave oven."

Her formula is simple, and catchy. 

• Select It (know what you want)
• Project It (see it as already happened)
• Expect It (believe it is already yours)
• and then Collect It.

It seems to have worked for Helene, who is now the author of several books, "Contesting: The Name it and Claim It Game", and "Confessions of an 83yr Old Sage".  Her website can be found here at Delta Sciences.