Meet Social Media Influencer Gabriel M Padilla
Instagram is constantly buzzing with the latest trends, hotspots, and now today’s well-traveled influencers! Gabriel M Padilla has over 300,000 followers on his Instagram accounts @GabrielMPadilla and @WithRoxy, which he co-manages with his Finnish girlfriend, Monica Landén.
Originally from a small rural town of Grants Pass, Oregon, Gabriel did not start out with a smooth beginning to his career. As a Cuban-American, Gabriel’s grandparents emigrated to the United States for a better life. They raised his father to believe you can achieve or become anything that you set your mind to. Gabriel too, was raised with that positive mindset. While Gabriel realized growing up that not everyone faces the same advantages or disadvantages, he still applied the mindset that his upbringing had taught him, and would always wonder, “If that person is capable of doing or achieving this, then why can’t I?”.
At 18 years old, Gabriel moved to Los Angeles on his own from Southern Oregon to pursue his modeling career in 2015. After trying out the starving model vibe in LA, Gabriel was fortunate enough to quickly realize that modeling was beginning to drop, and social media was on the rise. Gabriel successfully transitioned to social media as his full-time career.
5 Tips to Successfully Transition Your Career
Gabriel M Padilla was fortunate when he made the switch in his career, the timing was perfect, and he gained an astounding number of followers on social media that allowed him to make it a full-time gig. He has learned many lessons along the way, until he finally achieved numerous successful moments, such as having his own apartment in LA with his girlfriend, having a job that he loves and doesn’t tie him down to any desk, and best of all, having the freedom to travel the world with his girlfriend Monica and their dog, Roxy, at their own pace!
Gabriel shares his 5 tips to all aspiring individuals who aim to transition their career to social media one day.
1. Don’t listen to others’ opinion
People always have something to say. They are either too quick to judge or don’t know enough about your dream. Therefore, Gabriel advises not to listen to others’ opinions and continue to visualize your own dream, and it will eventually happen if you push yourself beyond your boundaries.
2. Failure shouldn’t stop you
Everyone faces failures. Just because an idea of yours has failed, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world or that you are not on the right path. Gabriel’s modeling dream didn’t always go as planned, but it didn’t stop him from pursuing another path which turned out far brighter.
3. Everyone has a different journey
According to Gabriel, it’s not worth comparing where you stand to anyone. Since everyone has a different journey, Gabriel suggests that it’s important to be ok with appearing less “put-together” as far as your career goes. Focus on your own career path, and sincerely believe that it will one day for work you.
4. Not all your ideas have to work
Ideas are there in our heads for us to pursue. While many of them might fail, the point is to not give up and keep pushing forward. As Gabriel says, “You don’t need all of your ideas to work, you just need a few or maybe even one!”.
5. Say yes
Gabriel always caught himself saying yes to everything that came his way, even when he wasn’t prepared for it at all. According to Gabriel, he never would have imagined his shift from modeling to social media. Gabriel strongly advises to always say yes to every opportunity, because you simply never know how it will transform your life for the better one day as he did to him!
To follow Gabriel and his family, check their Instagram:
