Let go of the need for things to be a particular way, and enjoy life just as it is. Let go of the assumption that you must always have something more, and find true enjoyment in all that is already in your life.

Dream big, meaningful dreams and make detailed, effective plans for bringing those dreams about. Live forward toward those dreams, but don't ever postpone your enjoyment of life.

You are worthy of the very best that is in this moment, so fully accept it and experience it. This moment is worthy of the best that's within you, so generously give of yourself.

Live the value that is your life right now. Even in the most ordinary moments, life is as rich and fulfilling as you choose to make it.

If you're always waiting for later, or for things to get better, you'll miss out on the very opportunities that will lift you ever higher. Instead, have confidence in the value of where you now are and what you now have.

Live now, and live as if you are the richest person who has ever lived. Because when you do, you are.

-- Ralph Marston

www.greatday.com

Happy New Year Everyone! May 2011 be filled with more blessings and love than you can imagine.

Don't feel like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Start 2011 with a clear focus and plan so come this time next year, you can feel confident in saying "I accomplished what I set out to do in 2011" instead of "Oh my, where did the time go?"

This is a perfect time to start working on your interview skills. If you haven't already done so, request my free interview card below. Each month you'll receive a new card with fresh questions on it. Becoming a great interviewer doesn't happen overnight. It develops over time so start right now.

INTERVIEW CARD

The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill that everyone can benefit from. The more you practice, the better you will get. These handy interview cards are a great way to practice with a partner or use by yourself to get you thinking about the topic.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview situation. Then each month you will receive a new card in the mail with fresh questions.

Now preparing for your interview is easy and for a limited time FREE.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®.

She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, and pageant coach. She was Mrs. Ohio America 2005 and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.

Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 22 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through  www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

There are three days left until we ring in 2011.

Are you ready? For those of you who have known me for awhile, you know I'm all about living each moment to the fullest and moving forward. Moving forward many times means change must occur. Ooo, does that word scare you?

Some people view change as a scary and negative event. I've always looked at change through the eyes of hope and filled with possibilities. What dreams and hopes do you have for 2011? How are you going to accomplish them? Remember, if you take (or don't take) the same actions in 2011 as you did in 2010, you'll have the same results at the end of the year. If 2010 didn't turn out the way you had planned (don't worry, life always throws us curve balls and keeps things interesting), then plan to make the necessary changes in 2011. First, you need to start with a basic plan.

It's a time when we reflect, re-evaluate, and ask ourselves the important questions: What worked this past year? What didn't work? What important lessons did I learn? What do I want to accomplish in 2011?

One of the best tools you could use to make your preparation and planning productive is a year-at-a-glance wall calendar. This will help not only in your pageant preparation and planning; but in your live as well. After all, that's what I'm all about. Together, you and I use pageants as a tool for self discovery and for the development of life skills that you'll be able to take and apply to your life to accomplish multiple dreams beyond the pageant.

This is the calendar I personally use and is hanging on the wall in my office. Most people think a year is such a long time; but take a second and look at the photo. There's the whole year in front of you- finite and in black and white (ok, there's some green, too). The point is, time is more real when you can see it. At a glance, those 365 boxes don't look like a lot. So let's take the bull by the horns and start to make the most of the upcoming year.

Your Simplified 2011 Planning Checklist

• Buy a year-at-a-glance calendar.

• Put all birthdays, vacations, sports events, extra circular dates, and pageant dates you are considering this year on the calendar. HINT* I use a different colored dry erase marker for each major category so I can quickly identify things on the calendar. My calendar is 24 in x 38 in. You need boxes big enough to write in.

• Set your yearly household budget right now so you can see how much money you'll have to do pageants this year. Now is the time to start earning money to fund your pageant experience.

• Sell your unused pageant wardrobe online. Gowns and clothing get dated quickly so the sooner you can flip them, that's more money in your pocket to use for the upcoming year.

• Hire help. Everyone needs and has help. Period. That's part of life. I don't know of one successful person who doesn't have help; and the really successful people surround themselves with a team. You'll want to take your time to find someone who clicks with you and helps you meet your needs.

If you would like support, accountability and encouragement so that your goals become your reality, I'm here to help!

I offer a range of programs to accommodate your goals and budget. Visit my website at www.WinningThroughPageantry.com if you want to get started on reaching your dreams today.

Don't feel like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Start 2011 with a clear focus and plan so come this time next year, you can feel confident in saying "I accomplished what I set out to do in 2011" instead of "Oh my, where did the time go?"

This is a perfect time to start working on your interview skills. If you haven't already done so, request my free interview card below. Each month you'll receive a new card with fresh questions on it. Becoming a great interviewer doesn't happen overnight. It develops over time so start right now.

INTERVIEW CARD

The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill that everyone can benefit from. The more you practice, the better you will get. These handy interview cards are a great way to practice with a partner or use by yourself to get you thinking about the topic.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview situation. Then each month you will receive a new card in the mail with fresh questions.

Now preparing for your interview is easy and for a limited time FREE.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®.

She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, and pageant coach. She was Mrs. Ohio America 2005 and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.

Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 22 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through  www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

This might sound a bit odd to some of you, but my dad's cancer has been a huge blessing to our family. We've been given the opportunity to forgive past hurts, relive the joys, and appreciate each moment we have together because we know his earthly life is coming to an end. It has helped me to put everything in my life into its proper perspective.

This Christmas, decide to make a lasting memory with your family. Turn off the TV for a while and talk with your family. Play a few games. Get to know each other on a deeper level. What information would you want your children to know about you if you knew this was the last Christmas you'd be spending with them? Children, what stories do you want to know about your parents? How many of you know all the details about how your parents met, when they knew they were in love, and how the wedding proposal happened? What's the story about the day of your birth? What are their favorite Christmas memories?

Along with Christmas this week, we're celebrating my daughter's 16th birthday and our 22nd wedding anniversary. Take time for your family, count your blessings and the full newsletter will resume next week.

Blessings,

INTERVIEW CARD

The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill that everyone can benefit from. The more you practice, the better you will get. These handy interview cards are a great way to practice with a partner or use by yourself to get you thinking about the topic.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview situation. Then each month you will receive a new card in the mail with fresh questions.

Now preparing for your interview is easy and for a limited time FREE.

Click here to request your interview card now.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®. She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 21 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through  www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

Today, reality TV shows are numerous; and pageants aren’t left out. Mrs. America, Mrs. World, Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA, Little Miss Perfect, MTV’s MADE, and Toddlers and Tiaras have all had their share of TV coverage. But how does what you see on your screen compare to the real event?

Here’s the reality about television. TV stations are in business to make money. Even if their intentions are honorable, if they don’t make a profit, they won’t stay in business. Networks make their money from the commercial ads they sell. Companies will pay to have their commercials run during TV shows that have the highest number of viewers watching them.

But, people are not going to watch boring programs. They want to watch something interesting, exciting, inspirational, dramatic, entertaining, or controversial; anything to help them escape from the dull routine of their normal lives. TV is primarily an entertainment medium. What makes Reality TV so magnetic is that the actors are usually ordinary people who we can relate to; or in some cases, people we already know.

My first exposure to television filming was at age 14 when I was on the Jerry Lewis Telethon. At age 19, I was part of a Coca-Cola sponsored tour of Japan. This meant major media coverage the entire two months we were there. When we were performing in Nagoya, the TV network asked if they could follow one of the performers for the entire seven days we were there to make a 60 minute documentary about our international group. The answer was yes, and I was the cast member chosen.

For 7 days, I had my own 6 man Japanese TV crew following and filming my every move. They were there when I woke up and they put me to bed at night. I learned being a celebrity wasn’t all it was cracked up to be and that I really valued my privacy. Again, when you’re an adventurous 19 year old, your tolerance level is pretty high. After all, doesn’t everyone want their 15 minutes of fame on TV?

But this is when I started to understand that there can be a dramatic difference between what really happens and how those same events are manipulated and portrayed on television. TV producers can edit events and comments to create a scene that varies from the event that actually occurred. For example, if they want an inspiring story, then they’re only going to air the footage that will emotionally move the audience. However, if they want drama, then that’s what they’re going to seek out; and that is precisely what will be created by editing the footage they have to support their vision.

The year I competed at Mrs. America, Women’s Entertainment Television (We TV) produced and aired the Mrs. America pageant on their network. There were two different worlds revolving during the 15 days we were in Palm Springs. There was the taping and producing of a TV show; and the pageant competition. Most of the time spent was on the taping of the TV show.

TV can be fun and exciting. It’s great exposure and reaches millions of people. If you find yourself competing in a pageant that’s going to air on TV, here are some things to keep in mind:

• TV is a controlled environment. What gets shown is totally determined by the angle the producer has chosen.

• Things are taped and re-taped multiple times. This is very time consuming so be patient.

• Many times, people are told what to say and how to say it. Or, they’re asked to say the same lines in different ways. Then the producers will pick which one they want to include in the show.

• Hours of filming are edited into seconds on the screen. Remember, they’re looking for the parts to create their particular spin on the story.

• You have full control over what you say and what you do. It’s your choice as to what rules you choose to play the game by. Never do and say anything that goes against your judgment or moral character.

• Nothing you say or do is off the record. Remember this if nothing else. The cameras are always rolling and anything you say or do is free game and may appear on the show.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive  my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®. She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 21 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through  www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

For pageantry, talent numbers must be entertaining and have some "WOW" factor whether it's dancing, singing, baton, instrumental, martial arts, monologue or anything else. It takes months, sometimes years, to work up a talent number that pops on the pageant stage and showcases your personality and performance strengths. It's not always the most technically challenging number that wins the highest score either; but rather the talent number that emotionally engages the audience and judges.

Remember, not everyone on the judging panel is a piano virtuoso so playing a Chopin piece may not connect with all of them. Same thing goes for Pointe or opera. You must be really good at your talent and it needs to grab the audience's attention in an entertaining way. Here are some tips to help you polish your pageant talent.

• All talent numbers must be memorized. No sheet music, no index cards, nothing.

• Put only one song on the disc and make several copies. I can't tell you how many times I've judged a pageant when the music is cued only to have the contestant  make this "cutting" sign with her hand to indicate it's the wrong track. Talk about making an unprofessional first impression. One song per disc. Sometimes the discs don't read on the equipment. That's why it's important to bring a back up. When we went to the national Cinderella pageant, I had three backup discs for each of my daughters. I wasn't taking any chances.

• Musical accompaniment must be professionally recorded and the cuts smooth and seamless. www.Musicalcreations.com is a wonderful resource for vocalists. They can professionally edit any of the songs in their catalogue to the proper length needed for your pageant. Don't sing acapella. For other musically backing tracks, find a good studio that can create a professional track for you.

• Songs and dances that are great for a team may not work as a soloist.Dancers, work with the choreographer to modify the dance so it highlights YOUR strengths. If you're not good at leaps, don't attempt a bunch of leaps because it highlights your weakness. Or if you're not very flexible, take out the splits. Remember, you're totally alone on the stage. We'll see everything and you won't have the energy and strength of the team to relay on.Vocalist, the song needs to be in a key and style that suits your range and you must be able to hit every note with ease. Just because it’s your favorite song to listen to doesn’t necessary mean it’s the song you should be singing on the stage.

• Body parts must be properly covered and remain covered at ALL times during the dance.

Dancers, YOU MUST WEAR DANCE TIGHTS. No bare legs. A full body nude tight with a convertible foot is an ideal undergarment to create a smooth, seamless line. Your bottom, stomach, and chest must be covered and bouncing of the "personal stuff" restricted. If that means wearing a couple bras, then do it. You don't want the judges to be distracted by anything.

Now, I know what some of you hip hop dancers are thinking out there, "but I need to show my stomach. It's part of the style and costume." Just be prepared for the consequences of your decision. Not all judges think hip hop dance and clothing that show the midriff are appropriate for pageant competition. Certain moves are not age appropriate for young children and if it makes the judges blush, you're going to be docked points.

Vocal soloists, watch the hem length of your short dresses. Most of the time, the judges are lower than the stage and they can see up your dress.

• Allow enough time (several months) to choose you costume, and perfect your talent number. Your costume must be as polished as your talent number. Honestly, your talent number isn't something you can just throw together over night. Judges can tell with the first note you sing and the first move you make as to whether or not you’re a serious contender.

If you need help selecting your talent number, or any area of pageant preparation, feel free to contact me through my website at www.WinningThroughPageantry.com.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive  my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®. She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 21 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through  www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

Everyone wants to win whether it's in a pageant, sport, relationship, or career. We want to know the winning combination to help us achieve it and we want it right now.

At times, we forget that everything in life has peaks and valleys. There's a time and place for everything that happens to us. With everything being so instantaneous in our society, it's hard to be patient; but, it's one virtue I feel is the foundation to a strong moral character and there's no better teacher of it than life events. Patience will help you rejoice when you're on the mountain top and sustain you when you're in the dark valley.

So let's talk about these peaks and valleys. We humans are physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional. The physical growth and changes are easy to see. In pageantry, physical beauty is key. Yes, the other areas of life are important too, BUT, it is first and foremost a physical beauty pageant so basic external components must be present to win a national title. Remember, beauty is subjective and everyone has their own opinion .

However, as I look over the photos of my life, I can clearly see periods of time when my physical make up was at its peak and when it was in the valley. Peaks for me were ages 5, 17, 22, and 38. My entire middle school years, junior high years and the pregnancy decade were definite valleys. Oh my, were they valleys!

Hair textures, body fat distribution, skin clarity, height and changes in our teeth are drastically different at various times in our life. With as much money and time that goes into pageant preparation, I feel it is important to take these changes into account.

At times, it may be better to wait to do a pageant while these growth periods take place.  It’s been my experience that the most valuable personal insights and growth lessons have taken place when I was in the valley.  Then when I did reach the top, my appreciation of the experience was so much greater.

If doing a pageant during this "valley" period of a person's life helps them to feel better about themselves and builds them up, by all means do pageants. But, if a young girl wears glasses, braces and struggles with her weight decides to do a pageant, and she develops a negative self image; then waiting to do a pageant until the hormonal changes are complete may be wise.

We also hit peaks and valleys in our mental, emotional and spiritual growth. So, there may be times when physically we peak, but emotionally, we may not be ready for the responsibilities of a national titleholder. Physical changes, for the most part, happen quicker than the mental, emotional and spiritual areas of our lives.

You'll have the greatest opportunity of winning the crown when you're competing at your peak than when you're in the valley. If you're in the valley, be patient and wait. Your time is coming to peak. If you're peaking right now, be humble and appreciative because you won't stay there permanently.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive  my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

When the girls were done with interviews, we went to Downtown Disney to watch the new Harry Potter movie.It was refreshing to do something outside of the pageant world that we'd been immersed in for the past 10 days.

Just taking a few hours to leave the hotel and do something "normal" (LOL) helps to break up the stress that can be felt at a national pageant. I don't know if any other mothers can relate to that.

But you want to keep the fun in your relationship with your daughter especially at a pageant. Don't turn it into a stress feast.

National pageants are very high maintenance and it's important to take a time out once in a while to help keep everything in perspective whether that means taking a dip in the pool, going out for ice cream, or to a movie. Remember; don't let things get too serious. If they do, give yourself (and your daughter) a time out.

However, I have to admit, I needed a bit of a pick me up after seeing this movie. I really missed the humorous interplay between the characters that was present in the previous films, and quite frankly it was downright depressing for me-nothing that a little sweet food couldn't cure though :).

Advent starts this week where Christians around the world start to prepare for the Christmas season. I wonder what the holiday season would look like if everyone focused on loving and giving to their fellow man with the same focus and intensity that pageant contestants use for their pageant preparation.

Plan right now to "give" one thing away each day to someone you encounter. It could be a smile, a word of encouragement, a blanket to the homeless, or a meal for someone in need. Let's see what kind of an impact we can have this December.

Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®. She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 21 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through  www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .