Entitled To The Crown

Some pageant contestants may feel an entitlement to the crown. This means that you feel as if you deserve the crown, you and only you, and that no one else should have it. You may not feel this emotion so passionately that you can detect it. However, I urge you to read this post in order to understand a positive and healthy attitude for the pageant competition. Even if you do not believe that you feel entitled, this post can help you comprehend the mindset of a winning contestant.

I will warn you that I am going to be firm and blunt, but I truly want you to be in a positive perspective. The energy that the judges and other contestants receive from you can hurt your pageant scores and the value of pageant friendships you could make. If you open your heart to truthfully acknowledging your entitlement to the crown if you possess one and make the effort to replace your energy of entitlement with joyful and kind energy, then I can guarantee that your pageant experience will be more enjoyable and more successful than it would have been otherwise.

1. You do not deserve the title more than any other present contestant.

No contestant has a single quality that makes them deserve to win a pageant more than another girl. We all have our own talents and adversities that set us apart from each other. No matter how hard you have worked to prepare or what you have been through in life, the endeavors and challenges of any other contestant are no less significant than your own. You want to work hard in order to be at your best level, and you want to cherish your achievements and recognize your inner strength. But your hard work and your strength are meaningless if you use them in a condescending perspective. Remember that you may never truly know how much the other contestants have endured in pageant preparation and in life itself, and therefore you have no right to believe that your obstacles are more important than someone else's.

2. It is not the end of the world if you do not win.

Yes, the particular pageant you are competing in may be that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to where you cannot compete in that pageant on that same day again. Remember that when one door closes, another one opens. You can always compete in the same pageant or a different system the following year. You can always strive to accomplish other goals, whether or not they be related to pageantry. Life goes on, as long as you make the decision to move on and work towards greater things or improving for a second chance at competing.

3. You are not better than any other contestant.

You may believe that you are above other contestants. The judges would not want to crown a contestant who feels superior to others. Every contestant in the competition has a fair chance of winning, and the judges are going to give each contestant equal consideration for the crown. Maybe there was a contestant with a zebra print gown that wasn't very flattering to her figure. Just because you know your cobalt blue gown was killer doesn't mean that you're necessarily better. You place yourself in a destructive zone with those kind of judgments. You should not feel a need to put others down in order to make yourself feel better about your chance of being crowned. Instead, focus on competing at your personal best level, without any regard to knowing if the personal best of other contestants is above or below your own level.

4. Everything happens for a reason.

I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that when a girl wins a pageant competition, it's her moment to shine. If a girl does not receive the title, then she is not ready for the crowning moment. God wants her to appreciate the other gifts of a pageant - whether that be the experience you now have, a place in the top ten, a high interview score, new friends, etc. If I had won my first pageant competition, I would have been blind to the invaluable skills I learned from the competition. I would not have been open to improvement for my future competitions. Maybe the pageant defeat is actually a blessing in disguise for you as well, and there is a more wonderful opportunity not yet known to you in the waiting after the competition. Focus on reminding yourself of what you did accomplish, despite not winning the title, and remember to be happy for the girl that was crowned! Wouldn't you want others to share your joy with you if you were crowned? I believe you would!

Don't take it to heart if you happened to fall under any of the entitlement categories. As long as you own up to your true feelings and move into a transformed and positive territory, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Entitlement can let you down so easily and make it difficult for you to acknowledge your accomplishments and to connect with the other contestants. Meanwhile, letting go of your entitlement can open you up to a much more positive pageant experience.

I wish you the best with all of your pageant endeavors!

-Miss Pageant Prep