"Nothing should be prized more highly than the value of each day."

 If there is one thing I’m definitely learning about the key to success, it’s that it all boils down to attitude. With the wrong attitude, you’ll compare the successes of others to your “failures” and tell yourself that you’re too limited to accomplish some of these things. With the right attitude, you learn from the success of others, take people’s advice with a grain of salt (remembering to keep your mind open) and know that limitations and “failures” thrive on doubt. I use quotation marks with the word failures because I believe, as many do, that you only truly fail when you stop trying.

I’m definitely guilty of letting myself believe I can’t achieve something, but every day, I’m reminding myself that I can’t think that way. Even if I don’t become the exact actress/writer/singer/photographer/philanthropist/filmmaker/artist that I want to be, there is no harm in believing I can be those things one day. Age, social class, financial status and appearances should mean nothing because a strong drive is all it really takes and I can’t waste precious time on doubting myself. And neither can you. Let’s decide today to carry no more uncertainty with us.  As one of my close friends, Robert, said, “How does doubting yourself serve you? It doesn’t. So stop doing the things that no longer serve you.”

You can learn something from every person in your life

My first fashion shoot was with someone I met at school: Annabelle. Little did I know how far this aspiring model would go. This picture was taken on a patch of grass on campus.

I met this wonderful girl, Annabelle Lyttle, my junior year at New Mexico State University on the set of a student film. As a photographer, I was drawn to her look: unique and ethereal. I had never done any sort of fashion photography, so I asked her if I could take her portraits with a special theme I had in mind. It turned out modeling was one of her many aspirations (at 5’10” with her exceptional features, I could see why!). 

After taking her pictures and getting to know her a little, I knew she had the kind of attitude one needs in pursuit of reaching goals. She was confident yet humble; friendly yet kept her wits about her. At the time, she was 18 years old, but now, at 21, she has gone further than many have at 28.

Modeling and acting is something Annabelle has wanted to do since she was less than four feet tall. Like many of us, she played dress-up, was always ready for a picture and made movies with her friends and a little camcorder.

As a freshman at NMSU, Annabelle had already acted in several plays and films by the end of the spring semester. It came as a surprise to many of her peers when she did not return to NMSU. But the reason she didn’t return to the university had nothing to do with anything negative: it was simply because her experiences showed her what she was capable of and she decided to take a risk and walk another path to follow her ambitions. 

No risk-taking goes unrewarded (click "Read more" below)

That summer, she decided to fly to LA and audition for America’s Next Top Model. She didn’t end up joining the cast, however that didn’t suppress her enthusiasm; bigger and better things awaited her.

“I knew the moment things didn’t work out with America’s Next Top Model, packing my bags and moving back east was my next option,” said Annabelle. “I knew I had to keep up my momentum so the next step had to be getting closer to NYC.”

So to Lancaster, PA she went, where she was originally from. She lived with her father and stepmom, but not for long. After signing up with a modeling agency in New York, the commute from Lancaster pushed Annabelle to make the big move. She told her booker she was looking for a job and after a few phone calls, she had a job interview that day and was hired. Her next step was to find an apartment and as hard as that is in New York, she managed to find a relatively affordable place in Brooklyn several weeks into her job.

“I was scared that maybe I was just overconfident and naïve because of my upbringing that once I was thrust into the real world, I would instantly fail, but I had to try it even if I did fail,” said Annabelle. “Ten months here and I’m doing just fine on my own.”

Annabelle walks the runway during NYC's 2012 Couture Fashion Week in February, wearing a BlacMera design by Yuliana Candra.

She’s not just doing fine. Aside from the numerous photo shoots she’s had and runways she’s walked, Annabelle could be seen on TV: on the commercial for HBO’s “How to Make it in America”, sporting a dress from Isaac Mizrahi’s spring collection on NBC New York and appearing in a music video of a musical megastar: Lady Gaga. That’s right; Annabelle can be seen throwing a pillow across the hospital room in the beginning of Gaga’s “Mary the Night”. Pretty cool, to say the least! 

Experiences are meant to be shared 

But Annabelle didn’t just waltz into a room and suddenly get these TV spots. She earned them by never letting her determination drop. For the past 10 months, she’s fully supported herself by working numerous jobs and showing up on time to the places she needed to be. She rightfully credits the help of her family, from their emotional support to finding places to live, but none of her accomplishments would have been possible with the wrong attitude. Like anyone else, she’s has moments where it was challenging to stay motivated, but she pushes herself to continue regardless, not allowing her worries to get the best of her. 

I asked Annabelle a few more questions about her transition from being a small-town college girl with big dreams to a city slicker with undying ambition. 

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How do you socially adjust when moving to another city?

Well since there are so many people here, it's not hard to meet anyone. The challenge is meeting people who actually care or are genuinely interested in getting to know you. For instance, I have my work friends but most of that relationship is based on our job. Then I have friends that I go to clubs and such with but I don't see the majority of them when it's light out. And then I have a very VERY small group of friends who I can hang out with and actually know me. It's so busy here; sometimes it's easier to not slow down. But then we sometimes miss out on great things. It's takes an open mind and genuine curiosity in people’s stories.

Catch Annabelle (wearing a sparkly indigo dress) dancing at 1:34 on the "How to Make it in America" music video.

What is your biggest source of motivation? What helps you keep your head up?

Motivation. This is something I'm working on. This city is very distracting and I might have a slight case of ADD because my motivation towards my modeling/acting career has declined since I got here. 10 months in and I'm still trying to find the balance between being able to support myself with a steady paycheck at a normal job, to then having the time to go to castings for modeling gigs that I may or not book and therefore end up shorting myself on money. When I first met with the president of my agency, he said, "Modeling is like an expensive hobby." I now see what he meant. But I'm young, and I see no rush. They say the best actors have had a lot of life experiences, so I'm working on mine. I'm figuring out who I am.


What advice would you give to someone who has never moved to another city on their own, especially a city that is significantly more populated than what you’re used to?


I moved around a lot when I was younger so adjusting to a new place became easy for me. Granted, moving on your own is a lot different than with your family. If anything, just have an open mind, don't psych yourself out and try to keep your expectations realistic. With all of the movies based in NYC, it was hard for me to stay realistic in what might happen while living here but I'm constantly impressed and surprised with this place and the things that happen to me.


I stay positive because I see a lot of negativity here. You learn perspective. And awareness. While there is the bad, I know there is good. I keep my sights on the good while being aware of the bad, but I don't let it consume me. As far as managing money, ALWAYS make sure you have rent and don't spend what you know you don't have.


How did you earn your spot in Lady Gaga’s “Marry the Night” music video?


My agency had submitted my photo to the casting director for the music video and they wanted to book me. The experience was really cool. Lady Gaga actually directed the whole video. She was very patient and relaxed through the whole scene that we managed to nail in two takes! I didn't get to interact with her or anything but I get to say I worked with one of the world’s biggest superstars!

Annabelle can be seen throwing a pillow as the camera zooms out four minutes into Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night" music video.


You’ve accomplished a lot at a very young age. What other things do you plan to accomplish?

Thank you. I really don't feel like I've accomplished very much, but I definitely think I have a better idea of the world around me. I intend to go back to school eventually. I also want to get back into acting classes and focus more on that than modeling. This summer, I am going to explore the city, even if it's on my own. I don't want to miss out on things anymore. I still need to learn about people (socially, their motivations) and who I am as a person. I just want to take full advantage of where I am and the opportunities presented to me.
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One person’s path to success won’t be the same for anyone else. We don’t reach our goals at the same time either. Some people find themselves responsible for a job that it took their elders a decade to obtain. Others find themselves not knowing where they’re heading at age 50. And there is nothing wrong with that. The beautiful thing about life is that every day, hour and minute offers a chance to change what you don’t like about yourself and move towards something better. We’re not all born risk-takers, but it doesn’t mean you can’t become one now. We all make mistakes, find ourselves stuck in a rut and wonder when we’ll figure out where we’re going at some point in our lives. What matters is that you learn from those experiences; that you don’t allow your mistakes to define you, but strengthen you.

I found inspiration in Annabelle because I’m sure that she’s had doubts and wondered if things will be okay. The scary thing is, we don’t always know whether things will be okay, but holding on to your support system (family and confidence in oneself) will make learning experiences less difficult to endure. I believe that is how Annabelle has looked passed her worries: she took risks despite any doubts and counted her blessings.


Life is a blessing. We can’t forget that