PageantCast News Desk: 'Confidence’ is the secret to beauty and success - Biography and memoirs

‘Confidence’ is the secret to beauty and success
Former Miss USA says positive thinking is key to being your best
Video
  Susie Castillo’s beauty tips
July 8: Former Miss USA, Susie Castillo, talks to TODAY’s Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford about her new book, “Confidence Is Queen.”
Today show
Slide show
  Crowning a queen
Dashing the dreams of 50 other beauty queens, 26-year-old Texan Crystle Stewart captures the coveted title of Miss USA 2008. View photos from the competition.
more photos
Slide show
  Beauty queen scandals
They may be beautiful, but the competition can get ugly. From blackmail to sabotage, check out the underside of the pageant circuit.
more photos
TODAY
updated 11:16 a.m. CT, Tues., July. 8, 2008
In "Confidence is Queen," former Miss USA Susie Castillo writes about her experiences growing up, and shares the lessons she's learned about positive thinking. From dealing with an abusive father and living in a drug-infested neighborhood to becoming a successful model and radio host, Castillo says confidence in herself made all the difference. An excerpt.
Introduction
We all have times when it seems like nothing’s going our way — when it seems like everything we want is out of reach. Ever have those days when you’d rather stay in bed buried under your covers rather than face the world?
Me, too. Believe me — I’ve been there.
If you had asked me when I was a kid if I ever thought I’d be a beauty queen, I would have said, “No Way!” In my wildest dreams I never thought I’d enter — and then win! — a beauty pageant. Of course, like most little girls, I watched them on TV, but they seemed more like game shows to me — something to watch, but not actually do.