What Would it Mean for You to Win?


In the Food Network show Chopped, chefs compete to cook the best dish based on a basket of mystery ingredients. Just before contestants present their first dish to the judges, they must answer the question:

What would it mean for you to win?

The winner gets $10,000, but winning Chopped means so much more than money. This is the story element of the show.

Each chef is playing for something personal to them. Some play in hopes of winning seed money for a new venture. Some play to prove something to themselves, to family, or even to an entire culture. Some want to pay a sibling’s medical bills, take a long-delayed honeymoon, or travel to see a special family member.

And so, the drama of the show is not only about whether these chefs can make something amazing from a basket of random ingredients. It’s about hopes and dreams, family quarrels, breaking barriers.

We could learn a lot from these Chopped contestants.

We are more than what we do, more than the methods we use, or the ingredients we’re delt.

The missing piece in some of our stories is this “what does it mean?” element. There is much to gain, and much to lose in your mission:

  • What does it mean to win? If you’re funded and the mission succeeds?
  • Conversely, what happens if your mission is not funded?

When you share about your mission, show us what is at stake. Who is affected? What changes, and what does your “win” make possible?

Listen to more about this on my podcast...


Keep telling great stories!

Kay Helm

I help you tell powerful and effective stories that inspire action.

Mission Writers | Life and Mission Podcast

P.S. Season 8, Ep 5 (full episode) of Chopped is a favorite. You can see the dramatic ending here.




Kay Helm

I help missionaries, leaders, and organizations tell powerful and effective stories that inspire action.

Read more from Kay Helm
brown and black Wilson football

When you talk to people about funding your mission, do you get a “yes” every time? Does that make you hesitate at the next opportunity? I think it's important for us to remember even the best don't succeed at every try. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the Most Valuable Player award (again) at this year's Super Bowl. He threw 46 passes in the game, but only 34 were caught by teammates (and one was intercepted). During the season, "just" 67% of the passes he threw were completed. In school, 67%...

two woman sitting near table using Samsung laptop

Do you feel alone in your fundraising work? A lot of us do. And, in our isolation, we somehow convince ourselves that people will think less of us if we ask for help. Or we don't want to "bother" anyone. Or, we think people are too busy. As you craft your essential stories, case document, and other key elements of your fundraising story collection, you have a tremendous opportunity to engage supporters – not by sending out more information, but by asking for their advice. Simply invite some...

yellow and black f 1 car on road during daytime

You may have noticed that sport is not the only business of sports. There is always inherent drama in a good sports matchup, but not everybody is into the game itself. Who are these people? What in the world are they doing? And why? Why would I watch something I don't understand? Formula 1 racing used to be a sport enjoyed almost exclusively by older, well-off European males. Complex rules, complicated courses, and a format that makes it hard to follow all meant the sport was just too...