We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Makaela Isaacs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Makaela below.
Hi Makaela, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Yeah I’d love to! There’s many ways I’ve developed my self-confidence and self-esteem. To start off, familiarity with rejection and acceptance of rejection is a big one. The moment you make a mindset shift and come to the realization that rejection is simply redirection you feel liberated and motivated. Rejection suddenly doesn’t make you upset but rather ignites a curiosity for a new direction, a new opportunity, yet to come. I feel like this goes hand in hand with comfortability in being wrong and learning to apologize and take accountability. Once you gain confidence in this, it makes taking a risk a lot less intimidating and a lot more invigorating. Also I feel like my confidence has manifested in my independence and autonomy. I’ve learned doing things by yourself, for yourself, is super empowering. For example, taking yourself out to dinner, on a picnic, on a walk, etc. Scheduling time for yourself is a must and just as important as your time with others. It helps you feel connected to yourself and the world around you which therefore allows for comfortability in your own skin which leads to confidence! Lastly, show gratitude. Every day, everywhere, to everyone. The moment you realize you have so much is the moment you allow yourself to let go of the insecurities entailing a need for more. Another aspect of showing gratitude is learning to applaud other people’s success, and understanding there’s room and space for everyone to succeed. Ultimately, there’s an abundance of love and opportunities in the world. The last thing I would say that’s pretty crucial is that the only person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday. And oftentimes you are suffering from self-doubt while others are intimated by your full potential, so stay confident in your abilities. These are just a few ideas I live by which have helped me be the outgoing and confident human I am today!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Sure! I am super passionate about helping other businesses grow. My social media marketing agency offers a multitude of services to customize a bespoke package for each business I work with. Some of my most common services my clients have used are, social media management, photographing/modeling products, building a website for the brand, aesthetic rebranding, copyright and designing logos. Highlighting the details and aesthetics of each different business I work with, I ensure to please all of my clients. Tracking growth rates and examining analytics I have had a huge success with my clients averaging a 5,000 dollar annual increase in profit and a 255% engagement rate boost with their socials. I feel like the fact I get to work with so many other inspiring business owners is what makes my job so special. I love the people I am around and the creativity that goes into it!
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?
Three pieces of knowledge that helped me were comfortability going against the grain, intentionality, and self-love. To start off, comfortability going against the grain has been an essential implementation in my life that has definitely launched me to where I am today. This notion entails putting yourself first despite societal standards and pressures. When I started my business at 15 years old I dealt with people making fun of me because it was so unheard of. Nonetheless, I didn’t let this discourage me. Also, this Spring I was deciding where to attend college for my undergrad education. It was between UC Berkley and a smaller private school in LA. I loved the campus, location, and energy of the school in LA way more than Berkley. Most people choose the best school in terms of prestige because that’s what you’re “supposed to do”, right?? Because that’s what we are always told to do. However, I went against the grain and chose the school in LA because I truly loved the environment. Most people call me crazy for passing up Berkley, however, comfortability going against the grain has allowed me to feel confident in this decision and beyond excited for the future.
My next piece of knowledge is to be intentional with who and what you surround yourself. Surround yourself with like-minded people, who motivate you, lift you up, and celebrate you. If you are in a work or school setting where you don’t have the luxury of this atmosphere and are inevitably around people on a lower frequency than you, learn to be alone. Being alone is not the same as being lonely. Feel grace for yourself in choosing not to stoop to a lower energy just because these are the people presented to you and simply in front of you. As I said earlier, learn to go against the grain. Next, be intentional with what you put into your mind. It’s important to be mindful of what you are consuming-watching, listening, eating, etc. What you hold in your mind is what you hold with you in your life and carry with you so I truly believe it’s important to choose wisely.
My third piece of advice is to give credit where credit is due (this most of all includes yourself)! Be empathetic toward yourself and others, and be proud of how far you’ve come. Always take time to appreciate yourself and your efforts. Say kind things to yourself in the mirror and be your own biggest supporter. This goes hand in hand with the importance of being so okay with people not liking you. It’s almost always a projection of themselves so don’t ever let it bring you down. Ever. It’s crucial to remind yourself that other people’s opinions don’t determine your success and other people can only know you as deeply as they know themselves.
The advice I have for people who are early in their journey would be to choose your hard. Being in debt is hard, being financially disciplined is hard. Marriage is hard, divorce is hard. Communication is hard, not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Additionally, be mindful of who you tell your good news to because not everyone wants you to succeed. On the other hand, it’s important to remember you don’t have to be successful or hugely powerful to experience the beautiful parts of life. Simply just being and feeling is so so much so take it in!!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I cope with being overwhelmed by reminding myself that no amount of stress will change the outcome and everything is happening for you, not to you. Also, I’ll take a second to reflect on how insignificant this stress is in the long run. I’ll remind myself of the quote “be where your feet are” and let go of the expectations and replace them with appreciations and affirmations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://makaelacreatives.my.canva.site/
- Instagram: makaelacreatives
Image Credits
Ryan Vincent
