When I was around seven years old I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to pursue a career in acting. I can’t really recall how this career goal came about, but I knew nothing else in the world mattered to me so long as I was able to look back on my life one day and proudly say I achieved my dream. I’ve had a lot of goals that I strived for over my lifetime, and for the most part they have been achieved. Now I’m in a new stage of my life where my dreams and my goals are a reflection of my lifestyle and will ultimately pave the way for my future.
Do you have a vision board or something of the like? If not I highly recommend that you create one for yourself. It’s such an easy way to keep all your goals and dreams in one central place. In order to achieve our dreams and reach our goals we have to be able to visualize what it is we are chasing after. They say you can do anything you want to do. I believe this as well. So long as you have the heart, the passion, and the ambition you can do absolutely anything you want to do. Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different.
Don’t lock yourself in a box of what you should be. Don’t limit yourself to the things you can and will achieve in your lifetime. Never put a limit on your potential.
It’s crazy, life happens and all too often a wrench gets thrown into our plans. Don’t let that wrench stop you. You wouldn’t let a tiny little bump in the road keep you from going on the vacation of your dreams, right? Treat the wrench that get thrown into your plans as that tiny little bump. Don’t let it stop you from reaching your goals or achieving your dreams.
We all get to a point in our life where we become comfortable. There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable but sometimes it can inhibit us. If we allow ourselves to become too comfortable we become the obstacle in our paths down the road that leads us to the future that we crave for ourselves. I’ve been there so I say this all from experience. That comfort zone we create for ourselves, for most of us it’s also our safe place. I’ve been so comfortable to the point where my dreams almost became irrelevant.
But something always happens that gives you a wake-up call, lights a fire under your butt, and reminds you of the things you really want to do with your life.
For me my wake-up call was when I went on my first audition ever (and this happened when I was much older). It was an audition to get signed to a modeling and acting agency here in Denver, that had connections to projects that could help aspiring actors/actresses and models find and book jobs to further their career in the industry. It sounded too good to be true. No way would this get me any closer to my dreams than begging my parents every summer to let me spend the summer in Los Angeles to go on auditions and whatnot. But I was wrong, it’s the closest I’ve ever been to my dreams.
Signing on to this agency allowed me to be able to create a brand for myself in the acting world. It allowed me to be able to explore areas of my acting that I never thought to explore, and it challenged me to allow myself to evolve into a better actress. That audition forever changed my life. Making the decision to sign on with them was the best thing I could have done for that chapter of my life. I was able to follow through on other commitments in my life while also taking advantage of any opportunities that may have come my way through the agency. What I really loved most about that stage of my life was that I didn’t feel pressured to make my dream a reality so quickly.
After taking a bunch of acting classes and learning the ins and outs of the industry, I took my first real leap of faith towards my dreams. I made the decision to compete in an international modeling and acting competition that would give me more exposure than multiple auditions could in a month (though auditions are important and useful). I’ll admit, when the end result didn’t turn out to be what I had hoped for, it was like receiving a devastating blow straight to the gut. I did well my first time around, walked away with an award as the second runner up for a competition. But I do have to admit at first I felt like a failure.
But then I was reminded of the encouraging words that were preached to us (my team) before we even set off on this journey. It was an international contest and our competition was individuals from all over the world, some who had even achieved success in this industry or have had jobs booked through this industry. Some of us were bound to do great the first time, for others it would take a couple of tries and that was ok.
Being reminded of that was the fire lit under my butt. I couldn’t let something that I had so little experience with be the downfall to something that I wanted to do with my life. And I didn’t. Instead I returned back home with my head held high and with more determination and ambition to make my dream come true. And the most beautiful part about it all was that my agency was right there by my side encouraging me and supporting me the whole way through.
So, ladies and gents I leave you with this.
You’re never too young or too old to dream or set goals. No goal or dream can ever be too big or too small. Know that opportunities may come and go, and some you will jump headfirst at others you will have to watch pass you by. But a true fighter (and underdog for that matter) always makes their own opportunities by continually working on perfecting their craft and pushing themselves towards the finish line.
No matter what your dream is or what goals you set know that you can achieve them. Make a vision board and don’t rush to achieve everything on it. Instead take your time by putting one foot in front of the other. Slow down and enjoy the ride, take in the view, and be present in the moment. As you accomplish one thing on your board move on to the next and allow your vision board to continue to grow.
Because to have it all means so much more than just checking off things on your list. For me it means to keep moving through life until you truly feel complete. For some you may reach this point faster than others, and for most this may not happen until later in life.
The important thing is to never compare your success to the success of someone else because we all take different paths in life to get us where we want to be. Nothing is impossible, not even your dreams.
So, get ready, get set, and….
Go.
-Xo
Kimora