What's Blocking Your Pageant Success? The OUTSIDERS.
- I haven't found the perfect dress yet.
- My hair and makeup choices were wrong.
- The judges didn't like me.
- I'm just not cut out for pageants.
Have you made any of these statements at the end of a pageant when you didn't get the results you were anticipating? I have. What additional comments would you add to the list? It's normal to feel some disappointment when you've looked forward to an event for so long. It may be especially frustrating if you feel your expectations weren't met. This brings me to an important question that few people take the time to ask themselves before the pageant.
What are you expecting to receive from participating in the pageant? In any endeavor you choose to follow, it's important to know what your expectations are; and how will you know when those desires are met? In other words, how do you define success? Take a moment to write down your thoughts. It doesn't have to be a novel, but list in very clear statements what you want to walk away with at the end of the pageant.
What needs to happen for you to feel successful? Making the top 15 may be a goal of yours. Maybe you want a feeling of confidence while you walk and model in 4" heels. Perhaps your aspiration is to just enjoy the pageant without feeling like a nervous wreck the whole time. Or, finishing the pageant, knowing you'd done your best and there's nothing you would have changed about the experience. Whatever your list is, write it down.
Now ask yourself, what would get in the way of having those results? Typically, the blocks will be external, internal or both. External blocks tend to be the quickest to identify so let's start there. Financial issues, sickness, a lack of proper training and time are a few examples of things outside of you that can quickly appear to get in your way. Write out your list of external blocks.
To illustrate how an external block can have differing effects on people, let's use the blizzard we had this past weekend as an example. The weather made the roads difficult, if not impossible, to drive to scheduled activities. Tasks such as cooking meals, working on the computer, doing the laundry and watching your favorite TV shows were blocked because some people didn't have electricity. Shoveling the snow not only took up time that was meant to be spent elsewhere; but, also, created a physical discomfort for some in the way of body aches and pains. How did the events of this past weekend affect your thoughts, attitudes and emotions?
For some people who didn't have shovels or snowblowers, electricity or heat, this event could have really created some stress. But, those people who had their equipment ready in the garage, had at least a week's supply of food and a backup generator, the feelings and attitude towards the storm might have be quite different. In fact, they may have enjoyed it.
What affects are your external blocks having on you in your pageant life? Are you viewing them as excuses for not getting what you want, or are they forcing you to look at the results of the choices you've been making? The blocks are neutral.How they make us feel and react will determine if we remain stuck or move forward. So, take a look at your list of external blocks and ask yourself, how are these affecting my pageant success?
If you don't have enough money to do pageants, what could you do to remove that barrier?
How important is it for you to remove this block? Rate it on a scale of 1-10, with one being "I could care less about it" and ten being "I will make this happen no matter what". Go through each of your outer blocks and rate them. What did you find? One of the advantages of working with me is once we identify your blocks; together we create a step-by-step plan that will eliminate these blocks from your path so you can move forward. It's no longer necessary to feel like you're being stopped by perceived obstacles. You do have a choice.
Next week we'll begin to explore The Insiders.
Blocks can show up in any area of your life at any time. Recognizing that the block is neutral can have a liberating affect on a person. I know it did for me. My first reaction to a block use to be a fear-based, "Oh no, what now?" The moment I really understood that all events are just that, EVENTS- neither negative nor positive, I felt immediately lighter. It was instead my reactions and feelings surrounding the events that I needed to go head to head with. What do you think about the idea that events are neither negative nor positive? Hold that thought until next week.
Congratulations Amanda Shepard- Mrs. Delaware America 2010
On the snowy evening of Saturday, January 30, 2010, Amanda Shepard was crowned Mrs. Delaware 2010 at the Rehoboth Beach Theater of The Arts, and will represent The First State at the Mrs. America Pageant in September.
With the threat of a blizzard due at any time, the 13 contestants agreed they all wanted to still move forward with the pageant and it went off without a hitch, having nearly a full theater! There were some die-hard fans there to support the ladies!
The runners-up included: Shana Williams of Newark, Tracy Friswell-Jacobs of Bear, Erin Tierney of Middletown and Francine Edwards of Townsend.
This was Amanda's second attempt at the title, having competed in 2008.
She resides in Middletown with her husband of seven years, Ben, and their two children. She holds a bachelors degree in musical theater and received her master’s in special education the day after the pageant, where she also presented the commencement speech.
To read her complete bio and see more photos of this amazing woman, follow the provided link: http://www.mrsdelawareamerica.com/mrsde.html
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Rhonda Shappert is a pageant expert, personal development life coach, and owner of Winning ThroughPageantry™, a business she created that not only helps her clients achieve winning results in pageants, but helps them Succeed From The Inside Out™ in their lives. In the pageant world she has held multiple local, state and national titles. Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three who has been married 20 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and is on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit www.WinningThroughPageantry.com.