Third Time Is NOT the Charm

For the the third year in a row, I struck out of the office's annual chili cook-off. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. My chili is pretty darn good, if I say so myself. It's not a very spicy chili (after all, I am from the Midwest), but it's hearty and tasty. I think I need to acknowledge the possibility that I'm that person who fancies herself a good cook while my poor dinner guests raise their eyebrows at each other and shuffle things around on their plates. This does not bode well for the cookbook on which I've been working for the past three years.