Success Is A State Of Mind

Let me ask you a question:  What will it take for you to be successful?  In other words, what do you need to accomplish in order for you to consider yourself having reached success?  Perhaps a more relevant question is what is your definition of success?  The former dictates the latter.  What kinds of standards do you set for yourself?

All of these things inevitably affect how you will succeed, and what this success will entail.  If you only do the minimum to get by, you might accept the smallest triumph as a victory.  On the other hand, if you are a perfectionist, you might sense failure when you don’t cross your T at a square perpendicular angle.

The trick to this, as is with anything, is to find the balance.  Where is your ideal medium?  This will be dependent upon your lifestyle, routines, and natural habits.  How high can you place your goals and standards before they cease being beneficial and begin becoming inefficient, tedious, and inhabiting?

Where does success come from?

Success itself is comprised of opportunity, ambition, and potential.  Opportunity is related to what is happening, being offered, or who is present in the society.  Ambition is the hunger or drive to be successful and potential is defined as how capable one is to achieve their goal.

There are some characteristics that can be traced throughout history as being present commonly among successful people.  These Include:

An Unwavering Passion.  Pursue that which you love.  Be passionate for what you do, only then will you try your hardest to reach it.  If you pursue that which you have no passion for, you risk abandoning it for something more appealing.  Commit and be dedicated.

Open Mindedness.  Have the imagination of a child.  Even the most intelligent realize that they will be forever learning.  Be flexible, at times you might start from one direction and end up in another.   Make the most of wherever you are and be open to new ideas!  The result might be better than you imagined.

Hunger.  Starvation for excellence.  Desire to be an expert, to master the craft, and to make it bend to your will.  Never lose sight of what you are striving toward.  This trait in particular helps with “hopeless” circumstances.  Sprint, don’t run.  Most people walk and even wait motionless.  Sprint.

Progression.  A forward-looking approach.  Learn from the past and move on.  Take the wisdom and experience and leave the rest.  Use it to better your future approaches.  This is the only way you will grow to your fullest potential.  Optimism is king, and the means to become one.

Creativity.  A constant flow of ideas.  Amazing problem-solving and innovation.  Love for the art of your specialty.  Never stop creating.  This is the life-line to your brand.  The most successful people always have a constant flow of new products or services to keep them relevant and profitable.  How can you be innovative?  Better yet, how can you be innovative with your previous innovations?  Offer your audience complete originality.

GOOD LUCK AND NEVER GIVE UP!

Walking Poetry

You know the girl: the one with hair flowing voluminously in the wind with the perfect bounce corresponding to her walk.  Each foot follows the same straight line as she struts down the cat-side-walk.  Her hourglass frame is complimented perfectly with her catalog-style outfit.  Absolutely glamorous.  It is difficult to determine where her beauty ends and where it is enhanced with make-up; there are no flaws.

When she passes by, the seductive scent of her perfume lingers just enough to consume your thoughts for the next few moments.  Her passing wind seems as if a gust of fresh air, quick and crisp, traveled through the room instead.  The methodic click of her heels is all but too-distinguishable amongst the ordinary population of rubbery soles.  Her rhythm holds the most precise beat and is accompanied by a clean, determined stride that rings true and clear.

She may be out of a magazine, but in essence she is a picture in motion.  When she adds that red flower to her neutral outfit, she gives you the impression she walked off a black-and-white set.  But the next time you see her, color flows from all angles and flares from her features.  It almost overwhelms your sense of beauty, which suddenly became so sensitive.  She is entrancing: the only thing that holds your attention.  She is today’s definition of “siren” and you can’t give her enough of your gaze.

Everyone sees in three dimensions, and everything seen is visual.  However, this girl seems to paint imagery in all places, which immediately seem dull in comparison.  She makes white appear brighter than sun-illuminated snow, and red more lush than the Queen of Heart’s roses.  Black on her shoulders has never looked more Noir and her blue runs louder than the summer sky.  Somehow her gleaming eyes shine through it all with surprising ferocity.

She is that girl.  She sets the precedence for those following her footprints, and raises the standards for those who have walked before her.  She naturally brings out the “gentlemen” in the males surrounding her (why would they let her open her own door if she can help it?).  Even the normally disrespectful men cannot help but be affected by her eloquent presence.

She is silent rhymes and melodic imagery.  This girl is walking poetry.

Be Your Own White Knight

Sometimes we just need a little glamour in our lives.  A beautiful gown and little pumpkin carriage to go with our hard and demanding Cinderella jobs.  A break from reality’s strain and work.  But there won’t always be a fairy godmother to wave the magic wand.  Life moves too quickly for any one person to deliver ambitions on a silver platter, and life is too short to wait on the delivery.  It is much more practical to grab your own vegetable and sculpt it yourself.  Your hands may get a little messy, but at least you will be able to design your own custom Lambo.

The tale of the glamorous life has a long road of yellow bricks and many deceiving, almost enchanting, obstacles.  Not everyone is guaranteed a “happily ever after.”  Some spend eternity waiting for the prince to break their sleeping spell while others decide to ride the white horse and fashion-forward knight armor themselves.

Dreams don’t chase the catcher and nothing ever grew without water.  Opportunities will pass by you regardless, but seeing them does not equate to seizing them.  If you do everything within your power today, then the only battles you face tomorrow belong to that day alone.  The stretch to the top is long, dark, and barren.  The higher you climb, the more the path becomes deserted.  Even after transformed, inspired, and given a vision, Cinderella has to struggle to secure her future.  The prince found her shoe and sought its owner, but it was her initiative and perseverance that broke her out of her step-family’s imprisonment and into his arms.

Our dreams can come knocking on our door and even enter our close proximity, but even then the journey is not finished.  They can come as close as our fingertips, but unless you grab it and hold on tight, it will vanish just as quickly.  The odyssey to wealth and riches has many characteristics of the historical baroque period: ornate with glamour and glitter to distract from the poverty and struggle.  Do not be fooled by what appears in front of you.  This is a very superficial industry and the deeper you swim, the darker the water.  Keep your eyes on your vision, conquer the day and seize the world.  I'll see you up there.

Wake Up & Smell The Runway

Beauty comes in all shapes and colors.  Fashion comes in all prints and cuts.  The combination of the two make for the ideal showcase of fabulous artistry and collection of creative talent.  There is nothing like walking the strip in the hottest new clothes amidst flashing cameras and inspired artists.  The strut, the hair, the glamour, the dress, the music, the atmosphere – all come together to make magic happen.  With the aid of countless supportive hands, of course.  Nothing can happen if everyone is missing a shoe!

And the shoes… hundreds of them!  Heels, surrounding you everywhere!  There is nothing like having only the option of wearing six inch stilettos for the evening.  The perfect excuse to wear the ones still in the box: the ones so fly they don’t belong anywhere but a swag convention.  The room transforms into a living magazine, exclusive to the room’s occupants.

Although the shoes and models get a lot of attention, the main focus of the event would be the clothes.  Yes, the ripe, mouth-watering styles of the season.  Who can stand at the end of a runway for an entire scene and not be in love with the designer by the finale?  The best art is that which inspires one to react in a creative manner.  And who can ignore the luxury of remaining stationary while tomorrow's envy presents to you a mobile showcase?  Effortlessly deciding your wardrobe at a hot social event is phenomenal.  The fashion is so contagious that one is almost seduced by the art on display.

The next must-see show is coming soon!  We Do Fashion will be featuring 8 designers and a variety of vocal performers.  One-half of the model group Variety6 will be featured in the show, including myself as one of the models, a designer fresh from the runways of New York, and the host: an upcoming singer/songwriter.  Look for the We Do Fashion show (an edgy COUTURE fall fashion show) at House of Adrene on Saturday, November 10^th.  264 Peters St. Atlanta, GA 30313.