I can tell you, and I learned this from Anthony Robbins, most people fail because they fail to try, and many times it is also because the person’s goal is about as realistic as wanting to win the lottery.

I was recently inspired by our team’s Fashion Director, Nathan Rosenkranz and his "go for it spirit!"

Matrix had a competition called Mannequin Mania, which ran from April 20th through July 31st. During that time, more than 10,000 mannequin heads were conceptualized and created by students, salon teams, individuals and even friends and family members of Matrix.

It was very cool—come up with an idea, create it on a mannequin, take some pictures and submit the pictures with the entry form as many times and as often as you wished. At the beginning of July, Nate decided to go for it!

Keep Your Goals a Secret
Many people believe telling others their goals will help them achieve them, but in reality, the opposite is scientifically true. It is proven that when you share a goal (i.e. running a marathon, quitting smoking, eating better), just by sharing the goal you reduce almost by half the chance that you will even do it. Why? Because when you tell someone you are going to do __________ (fill in the blank), the person you tell congratulates you on your intent and to your mind it puts you closer to your goal. The more people you tell, the closer you get in your mind to your goal, which ultimately translates into workout equipment that never got used, races that were never run and smoking habits still going strong. Nate went for it before he told everyone.

Have a Vested Interest
Nate waited and watched instead of sending in dozens of looks to work through his idea. He looked and planned before making his investment. So with $300 in hair and the purchase of one full-body mannequin (also around $300), Dr. Nathan “Frankenstein” was ready to literally create his Mannequin Mania Friends and Family Entry.

Four Heads Are Better Than One
Nate knows that the secret to success is to be smart, so he gathered a team he knew he could share his success with. He found an assistant that needed money for some repairs, a great friend who loves styling clothes (in exchange for a fabulous dinner) and a creative friend who loves to play with lighting that Nate knew would get a kick out of doing a fashion photoshoot with a dead mannequin, (usually a first for beauty photographers). And, he found a way to share with each person when he won.

Finally, Know You are Going to Win
I was away teaching when Nate sent me a picture of his winning entry and I immediately called to congratulate him only to learn his winning entry had not won, yet. As the book The Secret explains, you have to believe and picture yourself achieving the outcome you want. In karate and sports, it is the same thing, if you see yourself breaking the board or winning a gold metal before you do it, this combined with the hard work you have already done is proven to increase your chance of achieving your goals.

In mid-August, the Matrix team called Nate to let him know he was one of three semi-finalists for the Friends and Family July submissions and had won $1,000. In the beginning of September, Nate got another call letting him know Ava, his Mannequin Mania submission, was now a finalist for the $25,000 Grand Prize, including a visit from Tabatha Coffey. I could not be prouder to be on the same team as Nate, as well as Sandra Carr and Jennifer Miaczynski who are also Matrix Friends & Family finalists.

So, now it is up to us. Starting September 15, 2010, vote for your favorite Mannequin Mania Finalist in Student, Salon Team, Stylist and Friends & Family. Whose day are you going to make and who’s hard work is going to pay off?

Patrick McIvor is the artistic color director with Matrix – the leading professional haircare and haircolor company in the United States and part of the L’Oreal USA Professional Products Division. He owns patrick mcivor color studio (Bethlehem, PA) and studio two (Allentown, PA) – the two hottest hair studios in the Lehigh Valley. As one of the most respected colorists in the industry, McIvor mentors his team by involving them in runway work at New York Fashion Week; fashion/beauty editorial shoots and interviews with publications like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Real Simple, Seventeen, Family Circle and Allure (editors named him best colorist in the USA); and television segments on “The 10! Show”/NBC Channel 10, WFMZ “Channel 69 News” and “Good Housekeeping Reports.” His studio provides stellar hair services inspired by international cosmopolitan influences such as fashion, cultural and global trends. In other words, guests leave with beautiful, sexy believable hair. McIvor is also featured in the book “50 Hairstylists.”