You have spent several months preparing for your pageant. You have met with a professional pageant coach for months rehearsing interview questions, walking techniques, wardrobe consultations, and everything else related to your competition. You have written in your journal and said your affirmations every day leading up to the pageant. The pageant occurs, and you give it 110%. You leave nothing on the stage.
Finally, the crowning ceremony begins. You anxiously await the results, and you are confident that the emcee will call your name as the new titleholder. Why shouldn’t she call your name? You have been competing in pageants for the past 3 years, and you have earned the right to win that crown. You have put in the work. Your name is called, but you are not announced as the new queen. You are announced as the 1st runner up. You smile in spite of being disappointed. What do you do? Do you accept the results and make plans to compete again or do you become discouraged and retire your heels once and for all?
I am pretty sure this scenario has happened to many of you throughout your pageantry journey. You may feel that after so many losses that you are not worthy of the crown or the judges simply do not like you. Honestly, none of that is true. I know becoming discouraged can happen after so many failed attempts at capturing the crown, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to be discouraged, and here are 4 ways to overcome discouragement.
- Acknowledge the reality.
The reality is there is only one crown. Only one will walk away as the winner, and every contestant must accept that before the competition even begins. It doesn’t matter how much money you have spent or how well you command an audience. The fact remains there is only one crown, and only one person can win it.
- Understand there are seasons.
As you know the Earth experiences four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each season brings a different experience. In life, there is a season for everything, and you are no exception. Sometimes it is not your season to win. It does not matter if you have been competing for 6 months or 6 years, everyone has an assigned season, and there is nothing you can do about it. Make peace with it, and move forward.
- Know that all judges are not created equal.
Judges are put in place to determine the winners, but all judges are not created equal. They come from different backgrounds, and they have different opinions. Just because one set of judges did not like your interview does not mean the next set of judges will have the same opinion. There is this adage in the pageant world that goes something like this, “On a different day with different judges you may have different results.”
- Reflect on the overall experience.
You may not have won the crown, but did you enjoy the experience? What was your favorite part of competition? What did you learn about yourself? What can you improve upon? Think about those questions, and reflect on your answers.
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