Perhaps you are a contestant in a group of 100 other contestants or 50 others or even 5 others - how can you stand out from the competition and capture that title?
While there are 100s of things we could discuss in this single blog post, I will focus on three.
1. Understand yourself
It is absolutely imperative to understand who you are - if you do not know who you are, how will you tell the judges who you are and why you should win? By understanding who we are and becoming comfortable with who we are, we can then carry ourselves with a sense of confidence that not many other contestants can.
Challenge: Make a list of all of the words that best describe you. Once you've brainstormed for about 20 minutes, ask someone who knows you well to add to your list. Come back to the list (that has now grown) and start narrowing it down. You may notice some words are repetitive. Start canceling out the words. Narrow it down to your top ten words and really think about how those words define you...then narrow it down to five words and think about those. Keep working your way down until you have one word left. Then think about why this single word best defines you and how you live (or do not live) to support this single idea of you. Start understanding the components that make you, you...and which do not.
2. Consistency
Our politicians are known for saying one thing one day and then denying it the next. The truth is: people value consistency. People value getting a single message and relying on that person to tell the same message every time. Are you communicating the same single message to your judges each time you appear in front of them?
For example: are you clean and polished in interview, but wearing a baby doll gown? Communicate the same message: if you're communicating "strong", stay strong. If you're communicating a softer look, stay soft. Etc.
3. Stop being boring
What can you do to enhance your look? What can you do to enhance your interview skills or your on-stage presentation? It's time to look over everything you have done and perhaps call in an expert for another opinion.
Is your hair the same boring length as it was in last year's pageant? Does it need a trim? Style?
Is your gown a "safe choice" for your age group? Should you wear chandelier earrings now instead of those posts?
Stop playing it "boring" and make an impact. Stand out from the crowd by really assessing what you are bringing to table and consider how you can "up the ante" to crush the competition!
