Accomplishing Your Goals and Steps for Success

Walking into a major beauty store and recognizing the 3 pretty faces on the wall, I come to the realization that my work that has just been featured in Ulta. Catching me so off guard, I couldn’t help but stand in front of the Philosophy section, staring at my new beauty work, and take in that moment to feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude and joy. A rush of emotions go through me, as I begin to reflect.. Growing up as a young artist, I’ve set some major goals for myself. A majority of people laughed at me when I would tell them my goals. I would hear opinions such as, "You live in a suburban town in upstate New York, you won’t go far.. You don’t come from the fashion or celebrity world, you should just stick to bridal makeup.. You’ll never make a real career out of ‘playing makeup’, you should get a degree for when your fun is done..” Blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH. I have heard it all.

With that being said, I found even more motivation to set my goals even HIGHER. I really wanted to shoot for the top. I decided to have big goals and think big, because with the right mindset you’ll eventually achieve big things. So, what exactly were some of my goals?

• -To do makeup for a Victoria Secret model, but wait.. not just any Victoria Secret model, I want to do makeup for a VS Angel, you know, the top models that walk on the runway ever year, who earn their rights to wear those show-stopping wings.

• -To collaborate and work with a world-famous fashion designer.

• -To work with powerful CEO’s that run some of the largest, most successful companies in the entire world, and be able to learn tools from them.

• -To be onset in huge studios overlooking the NYC skyline, working with famous brands on advertising campaigns.

• -To work with musicians, and be able to enjoy a musician’s artistry and share that passion together.

• -To do makeup for a film and experience what it’s like to be onset of a big production team on location.

• -To have a company fly me out and have the opportunity to travel for work

• -To experience NYFW as an artist backstage.

• -To see my work on TV, while sitting on my couch flipping through shows

• -To have a makeup and skin care line of my own

• -To work with A-list celebrities, and attend events with them

• -Last but certainly not least, to see my work inside a major beauty store such as Ulta or Sephora.

You can only IMAGINE the thoughts that ran through people’s heads when I told them these high goals of mine. “HAHAHA.”….

Please take my advice, and BEWARE of the vision, dream and passion killers. In most cases, sadly this can include family and friends. People will try to talk you out of something you are passionate and excited about, something that you have a vision for. People WILL put you and your ideas down. Most of the people that have NO DREAMS, will wake up and try to talk you out of yours. These people sadly have no goals, and they have nothing to be ambitious about.

That’s when I learned the hard way to “work hard in silence and let success be the noise.”

So, what was my next move? What does it actually take to be successful? I set clear goals of each vision I desired for myself, so what was next?

-Make sacrifices

I’m talking late nights and early mornings of hard work. This means a lot of free work, this means assisting the best in the trade, this means a lot of emailing, marketing, networking, really putting yourself out there, and pushing the point of comfortability. Behind the scenes is where the work is done. Hard work. Nothing can beat hard work. I am talking OBSESSION. If we are obsessed with something and we pursue our passion with everything we have, regardless of anything else.. If you are obsessed, work hard, put in the time, you will succeed.

-Ask yourself EVERY DAY, What Can I Improve? What Do I Need To Change?

If you do the same thing over and over again, then guess what? Your staying the same, and staying the same means your going backwards, because the other person in your field is improving and working hard, which means you always need to find ways every single day to improve your game. Self improvement and having positive intentions is key.

-Understand the Law of Physics and the Law of Attraction

You become what you think about all day long. Once you understand this, once you know that what you think about is what expands, then you start getting really careful about what you start to think about. You don’t allow your thoughts to be on anything you don’t want or wouldn’t want to have manifest or show up for you in your life. Once you believe that you know where you are going, and you know exactly what you want, the universe begins to conspire for you. Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge, knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. Logic will get you to A to B.. But Imagination will take you everywhere.” My imagination has always kept me going.

-There is No Better Time to Start Than Right Now

You want to get better? You want to write a book? Build a house? Make a movie? Create a mobile app? Loose weight? Where do you start? You start right here and you start right now, because your idea isn’t going to execute itself. The book isn’t going to write itself, and the weights at the gym aren’t going to move themselves. You have to do it and you have to do it now. There isn’t a quick path and there are no short cuts to success. Just start now. Take that first step and make it happen. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations. That’s when you grow. Instead of sitting in that job that you hate for the next 10 years, go out there and start working on your dream.

-Stop Making Excuses

Stop finding reasons to make excuses. I call that, Loser Talk. Take extreme ownership. Don’t blame any other person or any other thing. Take ownership of your ego. Take ownership of the good and bad. Take ownership of your mistakes, your short falls, your problems and then take ownership for the solutions and then get those problems solved.

Now, lets fast forward a few years of sticking to these rituals. Which goals have I accomplished?

-Makeup for the most successful and well-known super model in the world; the mother of Victoria Secret Angels; and happy to call a friend of mine, Miss Adriana Lima.

Pictured: Adriana Lima makeup by Alexandria

-Grooming for Alexander Wang, one of the world’s most prestigious fashion designers.

-Working closely with world renowned CEO’s such as Frits van Paasschen; former chief executive officer of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Having many good conversations with a lot of powerful CEO’s talking business, experiences and favorite books. There are some major CEO client’s of mine, who I’d love to name but have signed NDA forms.

-Beyond grateful to work with famous brands such as Pepsi Cola, Mountain Dew, Champion, Philosophy, Etsy, and many others…

-Getting makeup jobs with musicians on Music Choice TV and enjoying private performances after the makeup was done.

Pictured: After doing makeup for Byrdie followed by an amazing performance that led us all to tears

Pictured: Host of Music Choice TV Clare Galterio with Singer Ashanti

Pictured: Magic! Why you gotta be so ruuuuude? After I did makeup for their LG commercial

-My first big film job, working with academy award winning actor Bruce Dern. He is Leonardo DiCaprio’s mentor. We sat in his trailer for days discussing memories of him onset with Marilyn Monroe. I can thank Bruce for being a major inspiration for me in my career.

-Companies have flown not only me, but my friends in the industry to all sorts of fun locations for work. Mainly Miami and more recently a fun Philly trip. My work is bringing me to cool places, that’s for sure.

Pictured: Alexandria, Dave, & Josh; Moving Pictures Production Crew in Miami

Pictured: Samantha (Wardrobe Stylist) ; Alexandria (Makeup & Hair); Donique (Model) at Faena Hotel in South Beach

-I started off assisting artists at NYFW until I finally got some calls the following years to come, to join teams to work for some beautiful run way shows.

Pictured: Model for Mark and Estel Runway Show during NYFW; Makeup by Alexandria

-No better feeling than enjoying some national television with a cup of tea and seeing a commercial I worked on popping on the screen. (Can’t help but laugh, Two 12 hour days of filming for a 15 second commercial? This is normal.)

Pictured: Good Morning America commercial we worked on 4 years ago

Pictured: Myself with Ty (celebrity wardrobe stylist and friend) on set of another Good Morning America commercial last month

-I came out with my own skin care and makeup line that launched in 2016

-I work with celebrity clients who I am happy to call my friends.

Pictured: Charlie Sheen & Producers watching a piece we worked on together

-and then today, still staring at the wall in Ulta. That is my work. I made it.

“Um, Miss.. You’ve been staring at this wall for a while, do you need some help picking out colors?” -Says girl working at Ulta. Ah, yes, maybe it seemed a bit awkward staring at the Philosophy wall for quite some time, but I needed this moment to reflect.

I have accomplished every single goal I have set out for myself and BEYOND!

What I really want you reading this to understand, is Success is not a straight line. Do no wait for the stars to realign for you. Go up there and create your own constellation.

The most POWERFUL motivational speakers that I have ever heard, came from people who told me I couldn’t do something. Because when they told me I couldn’t do it, I was bound and determined to show them that I could. I will prove you wrong. I will show you that you are mistaken. I will use those negative comments and turn it into my motivation.

I don’t care if you are working at a McDonalds (preferably Wendys), I don’t care if you are a garbage man, I don’t care if you have a college education or you are a drop out like me…. Your greatness and your degrees, the Universe already placed inside of you. Go for your dreams, don’t live life with regrets, chase after the success, the vision, the goals. I want you to remember this: Every time you walk into the room, know that you are special. Know that you mean something to this world. You have a purpose and you need to pursue it. I don’t care where you started at, how old you are, how young you are, I don’t care who told you what you couldn’t be… I BELIEVE IN YOU. & it’s time for you to believe in you. I believed myself when not many others did. That didn’t stop me from achieving EVERY SINGLE ONE of my goals at the age of 27. So what’s next for me? I raise my standard. I set the bar higher. I’ve now set another round of major goals. I’m not going to share, because again, in time you will see for yourself. Work hard in silence, and let success be your noise.

Xx