It’s a brand new school year and time to reset those goals. But where do you start? You start with the big picture and break it down from there.
Think about all the areas in which you are involved- home, school, work, church, community, social, sports, arts, and pageantry. Write down just one goal you would like to accomplish this year for each of those areas.
Now, let’s focus on pageantry. With hundreds of pageants to participate in, how do you decide which ones to do? Answering these few questions will help start your decision-making process:
How will pageants help me in the future?
What do I like most about doing pageant?
What is the ultimate title I ever want to win?
The last question is the most important of the three. It is the target at which you are going to focus all of your pageantry endeavors. With each pageant from here on out, you are going to ask yourself, “Will this pageant improve me and move me closer toward my ultimate goal?” If the answer is yes, do it. If not, don’t. For a number of reasons, you can’t nor should you do every pageant out there. You need to be selective and choose the ones that develop the skills necessary for the ultimate title.
For example, let’s say I’m currently 16 years old, and I want to compete at Miss America someday. The first thing I need to do is find out the areas of competition, rules and requirements. Upon reading the website and talking with the local directors, I find I will need to compete in an interview that is almost 10 minutes long, perform a 90 second talent, have a platform, and compete in bathing suit and evening gown. Wow!
Developing your talent, becoming an articulate communicator, having a meaningful platform, and being in your top physical condition takes years of work.
But here is the secret. These skills are not developed by just doing pageant after pageant.
Instead, it is investing the money you would spend doing 5-6 little pageants in the year; and use that money for lessons to perfect your talent. It’s about putting the time you would spend preparing for all those pageants into getting involved in your community so your platform has the depth necessary to be competitive on the national level. You need to speak with people to become a better communicator. Maybe you need to save more money to be able to invest in a top quality wardrobe. Hire a qualified coach. That’s why it is best to prioritize and only do one or two pageants a year.
The bulk of your time should be in personal development OFF the competition stage. Onstage is where you share the results of your work offstage, not the other way around.
If you win a title, have only one title at a time. With the one title, you need to make appearances and get the experience of what it is like to REALLY represent an organization so when you are asked in your interview, “What are you going to do with your title?” you will have firsthand knowledge. As a pageant judge, I can see right through the generic answers that some contestants give in the interview room.
Your Action Step: Take some time online to read up on the numerous pageants available. Find out which ones interest you the most and then go watch the pageant. You get a much better feel for things when you experience them live than just reading about them.
If you haven’t already read my book, I encourage you to do so. I cover pageant fundamentals, where to invest your time and money for the best results, selecting a winning pageant platform, planning your appearances, creating winning paperwork, interview skills, hair, makeup, wardrobe, photography, packing, what the judges think, and handling the emotional rollercoaster ride you are about to embark. My book is available on my website under the resources tabs.
