Pageant Week Prep

 “One of my strengths is my ability to keep negative thoughts out.” ~ Mrs. International 2020

Leading up to Mrs. International Pageant week, pageant prep will be in full swing. Headshots, Journey to the Crown Video, Paperwork, Platform Sheets, Autograph Cards, Silent Auction Item, Contestant Gift, Interview Prep, Walking and Posing, Coaching Sessions, Wardrobe, Hair and Makeup, Spray Tan, Your Travel Arrangements, Your Husband’s Travel Arrangements, Arrangements for the Kiddos while you’re gone, Social Media Calendar, Platform Work; the list goes on and on and on! Although each of these items need to be focused on and checked off your list in order to experience the best pageant week you can, the most important pageant prep that you’ll do, besides the work you’re doing with your platform, is going to be the prep related to your MINDSET.

As a contestant, it’s too easy to allow negative thoughts, including insecurities, self-doubt, comparison, and negative self-talk, among other things, to creep into your mind. “Who am I to win this pageant? I’m no one special. I’m not good enough. I’m not pretty enough. My platform isn’t strong enough. My wardrobe isn’t stylish enough. I’m not in good enough shape. My silent auction gift isn’t unique enough. My walk won’t stand out. Her wardrobe is better than mine. Her platform is stronger than mine. Her hair and makeup are prettier than mine. Her social media presence is stronger than mine. She’s been here before and has more experience. I don’t deserve this type of opportunity. I don’t fit into the pageant world. I’m just not what they’re looking for. Blah, blah, blah.” Ultimately, all of these negative thoughts will prevent you from being the absolute best and fullest titleholder and contestant you can be during pageant week.

Going into my third time competing for the title of Mrs. International, I realized that the most important and most beneficial “pageant prep” I could do, again, besides the work I was doing with my platform, was the work I was doing to get my mindset where it needed to be. I needed to be able to identify and remove any and all negative thoughts from my mind and replace them with positive thoughts and God’s truth about me. To do so, here are two of the key steps I implemented during my journey to build the confidence I needed to be the absolute best and fullest version of myself during pageant week!

1. By far the most important and powerful step was putting my complete trust in God’s ultimate plan for my life. I reminded myself of HIS truth about who I am and what I have to offer, and how anything and everything is possible with HIM by my side guiding me along the way. I reminded myself that I AM ENOUGH...I don’t need to be anyone but ME. That I AM ABLE...God has blessed me with a message that can and will make a difference, and He will equip me with what I need to complete the work that He began within me. And, that I AM WORTHY...I have been called to love and serve God’s children, and I have been chosen to share HIS message with the world, and I’m 100% worthy of that opportunity! You too need to have 100% confidence in God’s plan for your life. You need to believe in your message and in your abilities, and with every ounce of your being, you need to believe in the impact that you and your platform can and WILL make in the lives of others. You need to believe that this pageant and becoming Mrs. International is the opportunity to help you have a louder voice and a greater impact. You need to believe that this is YOUR time for YOUR message to be heard. That doesn’t mean that you’re arrogant, or that you think you’re better than any of the other contestants; you just know in your heart that THIS is YOUR time! You need to trust that God has been preparing you for THIS moment and THIS opportunity, and He’s aligning everything as it needs to be aligned for YOU to do His work as He sees fit! That confidence needs to be flowing through your blood today, tomorrow, during pageant week, and long after that crown has hopefully been placed on your head!

2. Leading up to pageant week (and even during pageant week), I visualized EVERYTHING about the experience of becoming the next Mrs. International. From meeting the other contestants at orientation, to enjoying the experience of our time spent at the different events that were planned throughout the week, to being the hardest worker at rehearsals, to making lifelong friends, to making posts throughout the week, to completing each area of competition, to hearing my title and name announced on Prelims night, to hearing the Top 4 announced and then my title and name announced the exact same way the emcee’s would announce it, to the way it felt, physically and emotionally, when the crown was placed on my head, to having my husband standing right next to me celebrating and sharing in the moment, to taking my first walk, to giving my speech at the Coronation Ball, to signing my contract, and then finally to making my first official appearance and post as Mrs. International….I visualized EVERY SINGLE LITTLE DETAIL about the entire experience!

Regardless of the outcome of pageant week, whether you become the next Mrs. International or not, you NEED to do everything you can to develop and maintain the right mindset leading up to that moment; the mindset that will help you be the absolute best and fullest titleholder and contestant you can be…even if the outcome isn’t what you want it to be. I want you to have confidence in yourself and in your abilities. I want you to give it everything you’ve got. I want you to walk away from pageant week with NO regrets. Most importantly, regardless of the outcome, I want you to trust in God’s ultimate plan for YOUR life. He’s ALWAYS working for your good, and He’s always working through you to make a difference…whether it’s the exact way in which you visualized it, such as becoming Mrs. International…or whether it’s in a way that’s better than anything that you had planned…trust that He’s ALWAYS working for YOUR good!

Ashley Rae Klinger

Mrs. International 2020

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