How to Avoid Pageant Burnout

Doing more pageants may not get you better results. In fact, doing too much too soon is the fastest way to burnout. There is a fine line between pleasure (when something is helpful to us) and pain (when something is harmful). This goes for anything in life- food, work, exercise and pageants. When the activity we’re participating in becomes too much of a routine for us, it loses that edge of excitement that attracted us to it in the first place. People can tell the second they look at you if you’re really enjoying yourself or simply going through the motions. If a contestant is going through the motions in pageantry, here are some of the burn out symptoms that may be exhibited:

• Trying too hard which may be interrupted as arrogant or desperate- they NEED to win.
• The walk and smile are fake.
• Answers are too memorized.
• There’s a lack of excitement around them.

It’s been my experience that doing one or two pageants per year, and taking a year off in between pageant years helps to keep things fresh and natural. Contestants run the risk of pageantry becoming a job when they do multiple (3-6) pageants in a calendar year. The attitude suddenly switches from a “want to” mode which is energizing and invigorating to a “have to” mode which is totally draining because it feels like a chore. It’s the quality of an experience not necessary the quantity that builds skills in us. If a contestant enters the acquisition frame of mind (the more titles I collect the better I am) the whole experience becomes counterproductive. After all, what is the magic number of titles a contestant needs to win in order to feel successful and valued? By Rhonda Shappert November 17, 2010 17:58