What do Susan Boyle and Captain "Sully" Sullenberg have in common?
They both won the media lottery. The became famous, will likely get rich from book deals/speaking gigs and endorsement deals — and will certainly have every last nerve tried.
Jon & Kate Gosselin won the media lottery when TLC put their life on display. They'll make hundreds of thousands and likely divorce.
The new lottery (get big in the media, get rich) will work just like the old lottery (buy a ticket, get rich). Friends and family will come out of the woodwork wanting money or spreading gossip. Privacy will eventually be the #1 goal in life for the media lottery winners. Hmmm, maybe there should be a media lottery protection program!
Here's the point: Millions of us want to get big to be successful. We might pursue a music or sporting career. Maybe we'll try out for a reality show or a singing competition. Maybe we'll try and get five million followers on Twitter or the hottest video on YouTube. Rest assured, there's a business model behind getting big.
But the end results are the same. Get big and rich fast and struggle to maintain your sanity. Maybe you/I/we should all consider taking a smaller slice of the pie. PS – I'm cheering for Sully to have his pie and be able to digest it too. He's one the few that deserve the attention as a true hero.
