The competition is over. You didn’t win. What now? Many of us have competed in some sort of contest at some point in our life. The truth about competing is there can only be one winner. We cannot all win the title we are fighting for. I have competed in many different things throughout my life…some I have won…some I have lost. The main point in competing for something is to always be better than the person you were the last time.
I have lost on numerous occasions. Some I have not even placed. However, I always try my best to stay true to who I am. Losing shows so much more about a person’s character than winning. Anyone can win and be graceful but it takes a strong person to lose gracefully. Over the last few years I competed competitively in pageants. During my years in pageants I met a number of people and learned a lot about the way people act once the pageant is over. The day of the competition emotions are high, everyone is scoping out the contestants, and we are trying to make sure you have the best wardrobe all while keeping our composure.
A few months back I decided to compete in a fitness competition. Over the course of four months I had calories cut, lifted lots of weights, and practiced countless hours to make sure I was 100% prepared to take the trophy. During my preparations I kept reminding myself this is a hobby and win or lose I would still be the same person, but I will have a lot more muscles. So the competition came and passed and guess what…. I didn’t even place. Nothing. I left with nothing. But I was told I had one of the best attitudes even after losing. I congratulated all the winners and made many new lifelong friends.
That’s the thing about competing. All of the contestants are vying for the same thing. We all want to win. We have all prepped and prayed. But there can only be one winner. It’s ok to lose. It doesn’t make you a bad person or say you aren’t good enough, it simply means it wasn’t your time to win. But what most of us quickly forget is; the judges are watching until the very last person leaves and you never know what competition they could be judging next. By standers are also watching your actions and if you leave with a bad attitude you are proving to everyone why you didn’t win. Poor attitudes result in poor outcomes. You cannot walk around with a bad attitude after losing and expect sympathy.
Losing does not make anyone a worse person or say you are not good enough. It simply means that particular completion was not your time to win. God always has a reason for things that happen in our life. Whether it is the outcome we want or not, there is always a reason. We have to thank God for the opportunity win or lose. I have always reminded myself when I lose that the other person must have needed the win more than. After ever lose I have always had something positive come from it. Never beat yourself up to the point you lose your composure. After losing we must simply regroup and start chasing our dream again. Never give up on something you want even if you lose.
Being a competitor in anything we have to train our self to have poise and grace regardless of the outcome. Every single person on that stage deserves to win. We may not always agree with the judges but every person deserves to win due to the mere face they have trained and prepared just as hard as we have.
Miss Congeniality never wins due to the lack of respect or being conceided. Miss congeniality is won based on the fact they realize the hard work that everyone has put into the competiton yet still remains humble and kind. I never vote for Miss Congeniality until I have seen every person interact with every contestant. Actions always speak louder than words. Miss Congeniality should be voted on after the competition so true colors are revealed and the right person is selected.
Win or lose we are all winners. We should place our self in the position to keep trying harder and never lose sight of the goals and dreams we have set for our self. If we all were to give up we would never have anything worth fighting for.
“I get it now; I didn’t get it then. That life is about losing and doing it as gracefully as possible… and is enjoying everything in between.” – Mia Farrow
Lacie 
you are awesome
Thank you.