Every once in a while, it’s good to do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone…

For most of you reading this blog, pageantry is the thing that pushes you out of your comfort zone (and believe me – it does!). But even in pageants, after a while, everything can become a bit too familiar… a little ‘routine’… aka – ‘comfortable’.

Even here at Pageant Junkies, we know we have to kick ourselves in the butt sometimes to try something new. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing our most ardent fans to another pageant information source.

Therefore, today’s post is all about the reasons why you should get out of your comfort zone – and how you go about pursuing something you’re not sure you can handle… (By the way – I’m calling some of you out right now… Because “not being ready” – is NOT a good answer! And YOU are the exact person I’m writing this post for today!)

Ready – Set – HERE WE GO!!!

TRY SOMETHING NEW – EVEN IF YOU DON’T “GET IT”

At Pageant Junkies, we’ve made LOTS of moves to “try something new” without really even realizing it. At first, our social media pages were just re-purposing material from other state organizations that were already online. We thought more people needed to see what we saw, so we shared it, and gained a few thousand new fans in the process!

We also grew because we offered a POSITIVE alternative to every other pageant commentary source out there! While many online exchanges have grown to become more positive, when we first started, there was A LOT of ugly stuff being said online. We wanted to be different. We wanted to highlight the positive, downplay the gossip, and give the fans something they could love! Turns out – It worked!

Nearly 16,000 social media fans later – our “new approach” was viable and sustainable (WHOOOO HOOOOOO!) But to be honest, I’m not sure we fully understood what we were getting into when we started – LOL! And if we had, we may not have started in the first place!  That’s why “not knowing” is NOT a good reason, to “not start” (ugh – don’t tell my English teacher I just wrote that sentence). If you have an idea – but you don’t know where it’s going to go, try it anyway! Who knows where you may end up???

START – BUT DON’T STAY

Once we realized re-purposing information was getting a bit stale, we realized it was time to once again “try something new”.  That’s when we moved into producing our own content showcasing our love of the Miss America program. After that, we quickly moved into distributing our own content across various locations (different social media platforms, our own website, iTunes, etc). And then, we created a whole freaking new library of content for people who want to succeed in pageantry called, Pageant Junkies University.

It’s funny because our original intention wasn’t about creating our own content AT ALL!  However – we quickly realized that we needed to move in that direction thanks to the natural progression of “Start – But don’t Stay”.

Here’s the deal.  When we first launched the Facebook page, I don’t think I could’ve begun to imagine everything Junkies does now! And lots of people who “start” things, ended up “staying” because they think they need to perfect what they’ve started.

Honestly – once you start, you can’t stay. If you do, you won’t make it. You have to move beyond the starting blocks and push yourself to do more than what your original vision had to offer… or you’ll never succeed. But “starting” and “not staying” are just half the battle – In order to fully get out of your comfort zone, you need to do one more thing…

LISTEN TO YOUR GUT

Shortly after the website had launched and our Miss America predictions had taken place, I had someone ask me, “So… What’s next for Pageant Junkies?”

I answered in a very nonchalant fashion… Saying something pretty indecisive, along the lines of…

“Uh… Well – Actually, I don’t really know… I mean, I’ve had a couple of different ideas… But I’m not really sure which direction I should go in…”

Then, feeling as if I was letting my friend down by not having a “real answer” I said,

“You know – I’ve actually been thinking that maybe I should do a podcast. Which kinda sounds crazy… But honestly, I can’t come up with a good reason why I shouldn’t do a podcast, so I guess that means I should start one…”

Honest to God’s Truth. That is how the podcast was born – HA!

I can still remember this conversation as if it were yesterday! Frankly – I didn’t even realize I wanted to a podcast until I said it out loud! LOL! That’s what’s so crazy!… I heard the words come out of my mouth and they made sense – So I did it! LOL!

Listening to your gut can be hard. Especially when there are a lot of other people out there trying to tell you what to do (or what not to do). AND – it’s double hard when you’re looking to do something that nobody else is doing or has ever done before…

But the truth is, your gut usually knows more than your brain. Your brain can rationalize a decision (talk you into something or talk you out of something) – whereas your gut, is your true self. And if you ever find yourself in a position where your gut “says something” like mine did, I implore you – Trust it!

WHICH LEADS ME TO THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT…

Therefore, in light of today’s lecture, I’ve decided to kick myself in the butt and jump out of yet another Junkies comfort zone… In fact, you’re the first to hear/read/see what I’m about to say!

This weekend – I’ve decided to do something I’ve never done before.

I’m going to offer predictions for the Miss USA Pageant.

Am I a little freaked out about it? YES!

Am I a little overwhelmed at the idea of doing it in light of 46 Miss America state pageants taking place in 5 weeks? YES!

Am I doing it because I’m mad at the Miss America Organization and I want to bring more attention to Miss USA? NO!

I don’t think anyone can question my love for all things Miss America… And if you do, feel free to look at the years and years of posts I have extolling the virtues of what I belive this organization does for young women. The reason I’m doing this – is because I’m practicing what I preach. I’m kicking myself out of my comfort zone.

I might fall flat on my head. I might go 0/15. I might not even come close to picking the winner… Or… I might do ok this year – and get better at picking USA ladies in the future.

Lord only knows what will happen – But I’m prepared to take the leap into the unknown! Why? Because even though I have no idea where I’ll land (or where this is headed) – I know I won’t get anywhere different, until I take the first step.

Therefore – I ask those of you reading this blog today… What step do you need to take that pushes you out of your own comfort zone??? Whatever it is… There’s a great big, bright future ahead – But only if you’re willing to take the first step. 🙂

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

Every Thursday we offer a new post to the Pageant Junkies Nation. To see more Thursday Posts like this one, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 16,000 of her closest friends.

As an avid fan of the Miss America Organization, Carrie began
publicly predicting pageant winners over 10 years ago.
Now, she’s galvanizing an online movement of fans
known as “Pageant Junkies”.
Learn more about the Junkie Nation
by clicking here.