After just getting back from New York Fashion Week, I was super inspired and excited to write this article about making your dream’s a reality. Going to NYFW has been a dream of mine ever since I started to have an interest in fashion and social media. Although, for some reason, I had a lot of self-doubt, “can I even go?”, “how will I even get there?”, “will I get into any shows?”. I am sure many of you may be able to relate to this, when your dreams sometimes seem like they might be out of reach.
The fact of the matter is, anything is possible, and that is definitely what I realized after accomplishing this NYFW trip. As a “micro-influencer”, I really wasn’t sure whether it could happen. But, 10 shows, 3 events, and 3 takeover’s later with some of my fave brands, I accomplished one of my biggest goals. I ended up doing more than just going to New York Fashion Week and made it into a full business and growth opportunity. I am going to walk you through some of my best tips on how to commit and make your dreams happen, using my NYFW experience as an example.
Manifest the idea before you go to bed & when you wake up
I originally read about this idea from a book called, Girl Code, by Cara Alwill Leyba, (definitely a must-read for all you girl bosses out there). At first, it seemed like the most simple idea when I read about it, but can maybe be the most effective in making your dreams a reality. She said that she would simply envision herself completing her goal/dream successfully before she went to bed/when she woke up in the morning. So, I literally envisioned myself walking down the New York City streets, uploading content on my phone, taking it all in at the shows. Soon, all of that would become a reality. I challenge you guys to try this as well, it gives you the confidence in knowing your dream can become true because you have envisioned it over and over in your mind already.
Look to other women’s success stories as motivation
We all have our day’s where we feel like we can accomplish anything and everything and days where it feels like a struggle to even get out of bed. When I arrive at a day that feels more like the second scenario, I love to read about other successful women, or listen to podcast’s that talk about women in the industry. Hearing about other women going through similar trials and tribulations, just trying to achieve their goals, helps to motivate you and have something to relate your feelings to. Before I left to New York, I listened to fashion blogger, Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What‘s new podcast, where she talked about how she started as a fashion blogger in NYC to now becoming one of the biggest fashion influencer’s in the game. Hearing about her story and physically listening about it gave me the motivation and power!
Create an overall goal and a step by step strategy plan on how to achieve your goal
This tip was so important in making my NYFW trip a reality because without a plan and a strategy, things can get messy real easily. I feel like some people believe that your dream’s may just fall into place one day. Although, personally, I am a huge believer in going after what you want, and you are the sole person who is going to make anything happen. These successes won’t happen unless you plan and strategize how you are going to get there. Before diving deeper into the logistics of the trip (show invites, flights, hotels, finances, etc.), I sat down to decide what my goals of the trip were. For me personally, it was to go to shows to take in the fashion and to also use it as a growth opportunity for my social accounts. From there, it was time to dive into the strategy on how I would exactly get there.
Collaborate with other people to help make your dreams possible together
Once I knew that I wanted to go and that I had an overall goal in mind for the trip, the stars aligned with my next tip. I had run into one of my fashion blogger friends, Kristina, of WeAreLivingArt, who also expressed her desire to go to NYFW. Next thing you know, her and I were planning and strategizing how we would get there. We started emailing designers to go to their shows/events, emailing hotels to work with, and pitched some of our favourite brands to do Instagram takeover’s while we were there. After a month of planning, we had multiple show invites, to the point where we couldn’t even attend them all, a hotel we were going to be working with while we were there, and 3 takeover’s with giveaway’s and fun content all planned out. To say this was easy is definitely a clear understatement, but so so worth it.
Have an open mind & be ready to take some risks to get out of your comfort zone when making your dream’s a reality
One thing you have to remember along this journey to your goals and dreams is that things won’t always go exactly as planned. There may be bumps in the road along the way, but the best thing to do is have an open mind and enjoy the process in it’s entirety. Remember that these are your goals and your dreams that you are working towards and although at times it may feel outside your comfort zone/uncomfortable, it really means that you are growing into the person that you were going to sleep at night imagining night after night. You got this!
