Hey there, Hannah here.

Today's subject line? That’s what I said for years as a kid. I’d never win singing competitions at school, I never won first place in sports, nowhere near first, and I didn’t win in academics. I just didn’t win in ways that were deemed important by society’s rules.

So I started to think, well, if I’m never a winner, then perhaps I’m a loser. I didn’t participate in competitions anymore because there was no point, being a loser and all.

But things changed for me in grade 7.

We did this cute science project where we were given seeds to germinate, then grow into little plants. Academia, being academia and fuelling our need to one-up one another, insisted on a little competitive spin: whoever grew the tallest plant over a set period would be the winner.

I’ve talked about where I grew up before, in a town known for being one of the most deprived in the United Kingdom; even so, my mother hailed from the United States. I was born with a USA passport and had family overseas. I had a privilege, an out, so to speak, and for some reason or another, my mother pulled us out of school for 10 days to visit family in New York.

During my absence, my teacher took it upon herself to ensure my plant did not wither. She expertly tended it until I returned. On my first day back at school, it was plant measuring day! I had won! I got a little trophy and everything, but I did feel ashamed. I didn’t take care of this plant.

I learned an uncomfortable truth at a young age: some people win without “earning” it by conventional standards. Luck. Privilege. The right people in your corner at the right time. These things are real, and pretending they aren’t doesn’t serve anyone.

As I left school that day, my mother put my award-winning plant, a stranger to me, on the roof of the car while we moved some things around. We got in, and she promptly drove off. My plant was destroyed, and the soil tumbled down the windows.

Another lesson that sometimes, just sometimes, Karma sorts things out for us.

Unemployed but Still Winning

Skip forward to a painfully depressing stint of unemployment. London, around 21 years ago. I was applying for jobs and not having any “luck”. Looking back, my mental health was holding on by a thread, and I don’t think I’d put effort into things much, but I did think to myself, “There has to be another way to create income”. I wasn’t cut out for the 9-to-5.

And so it began, the endless, fervent applying to as many competitions as possible. I uncovered a system for finding them, too: radio channel websites, many magazines, and newspapers, so many competitions, hours a day spent applying. I didn’t care what the prizes were; I was just curious if I’d win anything.

Boy, did I start winning! I was averaging 2-3 meaningful wins a month.

I won weird things, like the latest hedge trimmer, and a lawnmower. I sold those on eBay for a pretty penny. Tickets to shows, of note, a beatboxing show, fascinating. Shiny new designer shoes. You name it. The coolest win was a 6-month trip to China to become a TEFL teacher, all expenses paid. I actually missed the opportunity due to a family conflict, which still bothers me to this day, if I let it.

Here’s another lesson about winning: You can engineer it.

You can increase your good fortune by increasing the number of doors you knock on. Not all of them will open. But enough will, if you knock on enough of them.

I have one more really powerful story on winning, a story about how I unintentionally pissed off some Croatian women not long ago, with some major takeaways I want to share to support you. You can read the rest on my brand-new Substack below. I'd appreciate a subscribe and follow there too as I grow this platform for longer-form content!

Stay winning!

Hannah

PS. This week inside the VEA, we're hosting an all-women solo travel panel featuring VEA members. Our community, taking up the mic. Come join us (members only, check the events tab!).

PPS. My new podcast, Unconventional Excellence, drops June 1st. I'd love for you to be one of the first listeners. Join the waitlist here to get notified!