Perhaps the most difficult part in pursuing a goal lies in the first step: identifying it. This post isn’t about the makeup products I used to create a smokey eye on the talented and beautiful Amanda Seyfried before she walked the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards the other night (although I freakin’ loved how it turned out). It’s about making a commitment to yourself to live your life to the fullest, and at the risk of sounding super corny: working your way towards your own red carpet walk.
Since launching this blog just about a year ago, I’ve received a great number of emails from readers telling me that I’m doing what they’ve always wanted to do. Nine times out of ten, they’ve asked me for advice on getting into the industry. Each of those messages came from an artist who had the courage and drive to reach out and take steps towards obtaining their goal. I’m so impressed by each aspiring makeup artist who’s written me, and I can’t stress enough: continue to reach out to people who are doing what appeals to you, learn everything you can about what interests you, and keep reassessing your actions and behaviors to be sure that they remain in line with moving towards your goal. There’s no reason for stagnation if you don’t want it. Know that you’re in charge of your path, and there’s no reason why I can be doing what I love to do, and you can’t. I’m not saying I haven’t had really sucky times pursuing makeup – I’ve definitely endured people who were mean to me, or dismissive of me, and I have a pretty thin skin, and felt the effects of it each time. I definitely still feel my heart sink when I hear that a job I was hoping for canceled, and at times, when I’m not focused and in a positive mindset, I let that kind of news overshadow all of the good stuff that’s happening. It’s human nature, but rarely is it productive.
I’ve read a ton of articles about the common habits of successful people. Success can be defined in many different ways, but for me it definitely isn’t rooted in money or celebrity. It has to be based in feeling happy, productive, fulfilled and connected to others – that’s when I feel my most successful.
These are some of my favorite strategies of working towards a goal:
1. Focus: Make a plan of action, thinking first about the big picture, and then outlining the smaller steps it’ll take to get me there. Write it all down, and fully visualize it happening.
2. Find ways to feel eager and enthusiastic about doing the goal-reaching work every day.
3. Manage my time, plan everything, but be open to the need for revisions, make lists, stay organized.
4. Accept that there’s a ton of stuff I don’t know and am not good at, be forgiving of my own weaknesses, and be adaptable as I strive to learn every single day.
5. Be proactive and self-sufficient! Don’t wait for someone else to lead me towards my goal. Utilize others’ who are in positions I admire; ask questions, watch and listen.
6. Build a community of support around me: know which friends and family members are best suited to offer support and love as I work towards my goals.
I marvel at the talented models, actresses, writers, singers and dancers on whom I have the pleasure of not only applying makeup, but actually getting to know on a personal level. I’m incredibly inspired by people like Amanda, who at such a young age, has made a solid name for herself because she is driven and focused and open to possibility.
My goal with this post is to inspire you to close your computer, close your eyes, and close in on what it is you’d like to work towards. I’m going to follow my own advice now, and do the same.
xo
