Be True to You

     I can't believe that in less than two weeks, I will be leaving for Tucson, AZ to compete for Mrs. America! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I have been so busy preparing for this adventure, as well as working and getting two of my sons ready for college and the other children ready for school. It is non-stop activity around my house!
     As I have been preparing, there have been moments that I have questioned my own judgment and decisions. I think that when you are making any big changes or decisions in your life,  this is human nature. However, I want to share something that I have learned throughout the five years that it took me to get to this title....no one can be a better you. Trust yourself, trust your instinct and follow your heart. Leading up to the Mrs. Ohio pageant, I had made the decision, that crown or no crown, I was leaving it all out on the stage. I wanted to walk away with no regrets, and the feeling that I wouldn't have changed a thing. In my past performances, there was always something that didn't feel quite right....the clothes, the hair, the make-up, or my interview and on-stage performance itself were keeping me from being my best self. Some of this was due to letting others influence me as to what they thought I should be. At other times, it was due to my own insecurities, and the pressure I placed on myself to be exactly what the judges were looking for. But, you know what? None of us knows what the judges are looking for! And just because they didn't choose you, does not mean that there is something wrong with you. A wise friend once said to me, " a different judging panel, a different day, equals a different result". That is so true! So, do what you need to improve upon your interview skills and onstage skills, and get the advice you need as far as your "look". But, do this while staying true to who YOU are. I am doing exactly that as as I prepare for Mrs. America, holding on to my convictions, and making decisions based on what is comfortable for me what is best for my family. As Judy Garland said, "Be a first rate version of yourself,  not a second rate version of someone else".
     Please keep me in your prayers over the next couple of weeks as I finish my preparations and travel to Tucson! :)

Hugs!

Teri
Mrs. Ohio America 2013