No Excuses

Growing up, I was raised by two amazing parents who loved me well. They taught me about the importance of handwork, dedication, sweat-equity, and using your life to make a difference. Most people don't know it, but both of my parents were in the military. That’s actually how they met. Once retiring, my mom became a teacher and my dad began work in the banking industry. Needless to say, they ran a pretty tight ship around the house. I love them for it, and I find myself more and more like that every day.

One of the biggest lessons they taught me was the concept of “no excuses.” If something didn’t happen - and I was responsible for it… no excuses. If I gave less than my best… no excuses. If you want something, make it happen. I adore that about them. They always helped me reach my personal best and fullest potential.

No one is going to hand you success in life. If you want it - work for it… don’t wait for it. Often times I see contestants making excuses for reasons they didn’t win or why they can’t get something ready for competition. The wonderful thing about pageants is that they are individual sports. No one can stop you from being ready or performing at your best. It’s on you. If you want to win, then you have to start acting like the Queen before the crown is placed on your head.

Once you win, the same concept applies. There is no space for excuses. You have 365 days to make an impact and your year is what you make it. Create a plan for what you will do once you win. At the end of the year, only you can identify if you used each day with purpose.

As the competition quickly approaches, I encourage you to remove the excuse from your life and make it happen. The judges won’t care about your excuses or truly have time to understand. They only see what you present and don’t have the capability to understand every facet of what’s going on. On finals night, excuses don’t help you get into Top 10 - but they can hinder you from it!

Work hard - don’t let excuses get in the way - and make it work.

Redefining Beauty Worldwide,

Amanda Moreno
Miss International 2016