Whats in a Crown?

January is right around the corner! I can't believe its almost here. Last weekend I participated in my first pageant ever in preparation for Miss California USA. It was an incredible experinece. Forget everything you think you know about pageant girls, because the young women I shared that stage with were stunning inside and out. Watching the transformation that took place over the course of the day - from caffein laced nerves, no makeup and dry rollers in the morning, to bombshell beauties, smokey eyes and dazzling smiles when the curtain first rose, it was a wonderful thing to be a part of.

The pageant results however, made me do some hard thinking about what I really want out of this whole process. It stung more than I expected to walk away with nothing but good memories. Even though going into it I knew that out of any number of incredible girls only one can earn the crown. Tammi Farrell, our MC and former Miss Teen USA put things in perspective a little. "This is a life changing competition based off of a first impression." In some ways that makes it little more than a ton of preparation and then a roll of the dice. I left the competition totally drained and seriously pondering. Other than having a chance to stroll around on stage, why am I doing this?

I came home and re-focused. Beyond the idealistic aspirations of my platform and beneath the desire to focus and center myself after the turmoil of last year - what do I want to walk away from this competition with? A title of course. But after all my preparation is done what the judges think of me is actually out of my hands. How to I win, whatever the outcome?

I came to this conclusion. Miss California is a stepping stone to my life in the entertainment industry. I've lived on the edges of that world for almost ten years now, working and looking in and learning. And I'm tired of being a footnote. Competition is the perfect fire to sharpen my stage presence and heighten my networking skills. Competition is the perfect pressure to motivate me to mold my body to the height of fitness. Competition is the spark that I've been missing on a daily basis.

As an actor, and even a producer, it's easy to sit back and think the world should fall at the feat of one's amazing skill. But thats rubbish and everyone knows it. Dreams of being a working actor or seeing my creative projects dance across a television screen are great - but how do I get there? If I want to be successful I need to be able to solve other people's problems. The people who win in this game are the problem solvers. The ones who may not know everything, but will work until they figure it out. The ones who keep their eyes open for where they can be useful and jump when they see their opportunity to help.

In a world of facebook and twit pics, if I have a known "brand" to bring to my projects, I'm a valuable asset and I not only bring practical solutions to the creative project, but I can bring financial solutions as well. This whole pageant process is an opportunity to create that brand and earn valuable recognition. I'm loving the journey of creating opportunities through my social networking platforms and meeting new people, learning about new businesses and working with new non-profits.

Dreams take work. And I LOVE this work. So thats why I'm spending hours at the gym, securing sponsors, meticulously going over paperwork, and putting myself through a competition that literally promises to send me home crying should I not win the crown. And frankly thats why I think I'd make a good title holder should I be fortunate enough to earn that title. Because its a life changing job - and the little taste that I have of it now is delicious!

So here's me pouring everything I have into earning a dream job as a stepping stone to the rest of my life!

With love to all the crazy dreamers,

@ChloeLiz05

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