5 Life Lessons You Can Learn from Isabelle Daza

Isabelle Daza, beauty queen Gloria Diaz's daughter, hadn't always intended to join showbiz. Before she became a celebrity, she was a dedicated athlete: she was the captain of the school basketball team in seventh grade and she was in football and basketball varsity in high school.

But when opportunity knocked on her door in the form of a brand endorsement, she didn't say no. Eventually, she received an offer to join GMA-7's roster of artists and began her career as a TV host and actress.

Now, Belle is making her way to the top of the heap, slowly but surely. She's a regular co-host on noontime variety show Eat Bulaga, and she recently starred in comedic horror show Spooky Nights.

What lessons can you learn from this rising star? Keep reading to find out!


1.  LEARN THE VALUE OF PERSEVERANCE.

"My mom always tells me, you have to sacrifice to gain. We're so lucky to be given this opportunity that people want to put us on TV, to be given these chances, so you have to work hard."


2. CHALLENGE YOURSELF.

Instead of comparing herself to her peers in the industry, Belle focuses on her own self-growth and uses this as a measure of her success in the business. "Success for me is being happy with whatever it is you are doing."


3. BE ASSERTIVE.

"I can't get pushed around," Belle says. "I have my morals and convictions, and I won't sacrifice or compromise them just to be cool, or fit in, or go with the flow."


4. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT.

When Belle attended the Barbie-themed Preview Magazine ball in 2008, she embraced the concept in a different manner. "I came as nude Barbie!" she says. The star arrived in a flesh-toned dress, holding a transparent purse containing a naked Barbie doll.


5. LIVE IN THE MOMENT, BUT PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.

Belle understands that her career in showbiz will not last forever."Nothing's for sure. You have to fend for yourself." A graduate of Early Childhood Education in De La Salle University, she hopes to eventually open a pre-school.


(First published in Women's Health as "The Ball's in Belle's Court" in December 2012; adapted for use in Female Network; photo courtesy of PEP.ph)