You’ve watched the exciting videos of our winners online, or seen their winning moments on our TV commercials. You may have even seen them jump up and down with joy and say out loud “I always knew I would win, I just didn’t know when!”

So what, you may ask, is their secret to winning? Was it just beginner’s luck for them? Was it that they just believed they would win?  Did they have a premonition they would win? Every winner has their own individual story, and the Prize Patrol has heard them all! But what actually sets these lucky PCH winners apart? For one thing, many of them have told us they always kept the faith and NEVER GAVE UP. Once you read their stories below you’ll agree with me that they just don’t know the meaning of the word “quit”!

Our recent $1 Million winner, Rosemary Cella, told us that she had been entering for about ten years, both online and in the mail. And how did she keep her hopes up all of those years? “I just kept doing it. How long does it take, ten minutes maybe? You know, so we’re on the computer … just do it! Put a stamp on … mail it. You’re always going to the post office or the mailbox. It’s easy! Why not do it? And what kind of advice does she have for anyone who wants to win?  She says, “Don’t give up! Don’t give up the ship. Keep believing it, that someday it will happen … like it happened to us!”

And what about Stephanie Gornichec? She won $1 Million back in August 2009. At that time her family was filing for bankruptcy. She had lost her job the year before, their only source of income. Their truck was repossessed and they had only one month before the bank would do the same thing to their home.

She says, “I was faithful every day in my entries. I started this process in March of 2009 and won in August of 2009. I entered mostly online and occasionally by mail. My husband Shaun would snicker over his coffee at me every day … he quit that when I won.”

For anyone who wants to win, her advice is simple. “I didn’t give up. When I didn’t win right away, I kept on entering. And one day, one really great day, it happened and my whole life changed.”

And Karl Jonsson of Wisconsin, who won $1 Million just a few days before Christmas, tells us that entering the PCH Sweepstakes is something he stuck with throughout the years. “Off and on I have probably entered since I was 18. Just about 26 years. Every time it would come to the house, I would fill it out and send it in. When the app and computer came out, I went online. [I figured] if I was online anyways, I’d just do it.”

Another inspiration is Kathryn Norwood of Bradenton, FL, who won $10,000 on February 4^th. She had been entering the PCH Sweepstakes faithfully for years and decided in recent months to enter every day. “Why not take every opportunity to enter and win?” she reasoned. That was a good idea, and it paid off!

Call it what you will. Strength, faith, perseverance, belief, conviction or sheer will power. So many of our winners have told us that they felt that their persistence finally paid off when the Prize Patrol showed up at their door!

The bottom line is, you’ve got to be in it to win it. Any timely entry — whether at pch.com, PCHSearch&Win, PCH games or through the U.S. mail — could make you our next winner.  So be sure to enter every day and any way you can!

Looks to me that the message from our past winners is to keep on entering every chance you get and to never give up hope. Because one day it could be you!

Please tell us in the comments section below how you plan to make that happen!

Jane M.
PCH Creative Dept.

Other blogs you might enjoy:
Tell Us: What’s Your Secret To Winning?
You Gotta Believe You Can Win From PCH
Wisconsin Tax Free Winner Happy That He Entered Every Day at PCH.com