Setting (and achieving) Pageant Goals

01, September 2022

Here we are - the dreaded final quarter of the year. It’s a barren wasteland of abandoned planners and empty Ben and Jerry’s containers, where once-beloved pageant goals are pushed aside, only to die slowly…pitiful and forgotten.

While we may have walked this dreary path before, our 2022 goals don’t have to meet the same end. Enter pageant goal setting: a GPS system for your hopes, dreams, and disciplines.

The fact is, every decision you make in a given day is moving you a little farther down some sort of road. The important question is, is the road leading somewhere you actually WANT to go? (Pro tip: if it’s Cut Your Own Bangs Hwy, the answer is ALWAYS a hard no.) It’s time to consult your Life Map, recalibrate your destination, turn a U-y and haul it over to the path that will take you where you DO want to end up.

Start With The Destination

Obviously, like on any road trip, the first and most important thing you have to do is know where your destination IS. (And, just as importantly, where it is NOT). Those other roads will at times be enticing (and let’s be real, distractions can be fun), but remember: you chose THIS road for a reason. Stay the course! Otherwise, you could end up distracted, wandering aimlessly, or lost.

Identify Potential Roadblacks

Nothing is more annoying than feeling like you’re getting closer, only to be thwarted by road construction or a rogue traffic jam. Do whatever you can to research, anticipate, and plan for potential obstacles to your route.

Maybe your goal is improving your health and fitness before your next pageant, but the thought of working out alone makes you depressed. Call your girlfriends and ask for a hype team. Learn from past hiccups when things didn’t go so well, and brainstorm ways to head off repeating those mistakes. If a long day makes you want to stress eat, get rid of the indulgent foods (and take a way home that doesn’t take you by your favorite Thai place…the dumplings SHALL NOT WIN this time). Researching and planning for all possible contingencies on the front end will save you a lot of time (and setbacks).

Reverse Engineer Your Trip

If you’re driving from Miami to Seattle, it would be impossible and overwhelming to attempt it in one day. It seems silly to even consider, right? But we are often guilty of the same thing with our goals - trying too much at once (and setting ourselves up for failure).

Use this simple tip: once you’ve identified your BIg Pageant Goal, work backwards and focus on ONE SMALL STEP at a time. If your goal is, say, being paid regularly for public speaking, you might ask, “What is the ONE thing I need to do this year to move closer to this goal?” Once you’ve identified that, go a step smaller: “What’s the ONE thing I need to do this quarter?” Then repeat down to the month, then week, then day. That way, every action you’re taking is compounding and propelling you towards your Final Destination. Voila - you’ll be there before you know it.

Don’t Go Alone

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that friends make everything more fun. They’ll remind you to keep going when your confidence and motivation begin to wane (and not let you throw in the towel when the journey gets tough - because it will)l. Think about yourself like you would a friend in the same situation, and rally some cheerleaders around you. (No excuses! They love you and want to help you succeed.)

Finally, Consult GPS Along The Way

Just like you need to double (or triple or quadruple) check your status on the road, you’ll need to periodically check in with your goals. Are you still on the right road, or have you gotten unintentionally turned around? Is the destination still the one that your heart is set on, or do you need to take a rest and reevaluate? Life happens and goals change - and that is 100% okay. All that matters is that your effort is working for you (and the road you want to be on).

Homework

Grab a seat and do a brain dump: write down all the pageant and life goals that get your heart racing. Once that’s done, try to narrow it down to the most important ones. (A few tips: think about what matters MOST now, in a year, and in 5 years) Go with those first. Then, work backwards - write down one small thing you can do each year, quarter, month, week, and day, to make progress.

If you have some huge goals and need some coaching help, Crown Club is the dream spot for you. We’ve helped 10,000+ contestants win the crown in every pageant system, age division, an territory.