We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Iliyana Apostolova . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Iliyana below.
Iliyana, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I’ve noticed that sometimes people subconsciously look down on somebody who is “confident” because they somehow believe it has to do with that person being conceited, There was a period where I was that person, which led me to project onto myself and be afraid to embrace or show off my talents. I wouldn’t allow myself to be confident in my passion because I was afraid of rejection, judgement and people thinking I’m just not cut out for it. I felt like the moment I get rejected, my dreams would be crushed so I would have rather never tried and kept on dreaming, than to try and get rejected.
However, my passion for comedy and acting was stronger than my insecurities and I couldn’t help but act on it by creating skits and funny videos (that I would only share with close friends, family and coworkers). I wasn’t bold enough to share them on social media, where at the time I had about a couple thousand followers. During the 2020 quarantine, my close friend Dushaunt AKA Fikshun, convinced me to use my free time to start posting videos on social media and make others laugh during the hard time. At first my plan was to only share with close friends and family because that’s where I always got approval, but my content soon blew up and before I knew it, I was getting millions of views, followers and an insane amount of support from people I had never met before. I was overwhelmed by the love, but mainly, I was shocked. My fears of rejection and judgment from others came true, only to make me realize that they NEVER even mattered in the first place! For years, I held back because of my fear of rejection but during those years I missed out on so many career opportunities and making so many people smile. I learned that it was always about the lives you touch, not about the ones you didn’t.
Going back to the question, “How did I develop my confidence and self-esteem?” The answer is, by simply understanding that rejection and approval never mattered in the first place.
Most people like myself, will let fear overcome and never even try to pursue their goals.
In my rare case, God allowed it to happen to me before I even developed confidence – and it taught me that everything I was afraid of, was in fact, insignificant. I remember watching vines wishing I could build the courage to make content myself, but fear stopped me every time. Sometimes I look back and wish I followed my heart sooner.
A close person in my life told me “Smart people learn from their mistakes. Wise people learn from other people’s mistakes.”
If I can give you one piece of advice, it would be this. Be wise. Learn from my mistake. STOP worrying about rejection and the opinions of others. Go after it, that thing that it is that you love. Never let fear be the reason you hold back from your passion – because you will miss out on your greatness.
One of my favorite quotes is “Confidence is not ‘they will like me’. Confidence is ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t.’ -Christina Grimmie. Today, I am confident whether people like me or not, because I do it for the ones who leave my page with a smile on their face.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
After moving from Bulgaria to Las Vegas, I grew up with one goal, to be in the entertainment industry. As I worked toward my dreams, my every day life consisted of working two jobs, bottle service in the Vegas nightlife industry and a guest relations executive in a five star hotel during the day, all while shooting an independent feature film, Everybody Dies By The End, a horror/comedy movie about a maniacal horror director abusing his team.
The movie got accepted into the Frightfest UK Film Festival and in 2022, I attended my very first movie premiere in London. It was a dream come true seeing all of our hard work come together on the big screen. The movie also received the ‘Best Ensemble Cast’ award from the San Diego Film Awards. It is now officially out on Tubi TV, with more platforms to come.
I enjoyed my time in the hospitality industry but I am very excited to have taken the next step to focus on acting and social media full time. I’m looking forward to starring in more feature films and eventually making an appearance on SNL. In the meantime, you can find my content on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
One of the things that has really kept me consistent in what I do is my love and passion for entertainment. I can’t see myself being successful if I felt like entertaining and comedy was something I HAD to do. There’s something about loving what you do, that keeps you going. I’m not sure if I can call that a skill that can be worked on, but what I can say to someone who is in the early stages of their journey is never forget why you chose to do what you’re doing. Of course there are days when you’re just tired, or distracted because life happens. Sometimes those days turn into weeks and even months, but in order to stay consistent in your journey, you should always take a moment to reflect on WHY you love what you do. The passion is what keeps you committed to your craft, but passion without works is not enough. You have to be hard working and patient. Those are the two skills that have been the most beneficial to me. It’s important to understand that putting in consistent hard work does not guarantee immediate results, but hard work coupled with patience will keep you going until you can reap what you sow. Every person defines success differently, but to me, success is being able to make a living by doing what you love. Everything in addition to that like fame, wealth and recognition that comes from your dedication and hard work is just a plus.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The book that has played an important role not just in my development, but also my mental health as well as other areas in my life, is the Bible. I began doing daily Bible plans on the app focused on specific topics that I deal with, such as stress, anxiety and depression. Eventually I bought a Bible and began reading it daily. I didn’t expect it to touch on so many areas in my personal life. I will share a few verses I find the most relatable.
With everything that goes on in today’s world, it’s easy to try to ‘fit in’ in order to not get ‘canceled’. There are things going on in today’s world that don’t align with my morals. Sometimes certain opportunities come up and in order to get ahead in life, we turn a blind eye to what we don’t feel is right and we temporarily neglect our beliefs or morals.
This verse reminded to stay true to who I am. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
There was a point in my life when I struggled to understand why certain tragedies around me were happening and I felt alone. Then the Bible reminded me of this.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Psalms 34:18 Often times, we want the world to only see our best. Our happy moments, our success. This reminded me that I am never alone and God is there not just through the good, but through the difficult times as well.
“Trust God with all your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
This verse was a reminder that I don’t always have to be in control of everything, sometimes I need to sit back and trust.
As I continue to read the Bible and get closer to God, I find myself changing from the inside out. What I mean by that is, when we try to change for the better – we often just try to do what’s right – but our internal desires to do what’s wrong are still there. Kind of like when a teenager has to apologize to his parents in order to go out on Friday night. He’s doing the right thing by apologizing, but his heart is not in it.
When God changes you from the inside out, you notice your heart and desires began to change for the better, then your actions follow. You naturally start to desire what’s good. Other motivational books have inspired me to practice things that are beneficial but no other book has changed me from the inside out on a spiritual level, the way God has done for me through the Bible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@_iliyana?_t=8fzcnFUN2uA&_r=1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iliyana_apostolova/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iam_iliyana?lang=en
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@_iliyana?si=1QLo1tjkBtmC3S3_
- Other: IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4708328/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Image Credits
Lauren Hurt
