Actress Skai Jackson highlights the advantages of embracing an "I don't care" attitude, showcasing how this mindset has been instrumental to her living a fulfilling life.
The former child star became a household name over a decade ago when she portrayed Zuri Ross in Disney Channel's hit series Jessie from 2011 to 2015. Despite its cancellation in 2015, the show's success ultimately led to the spinoff series Bunk'd that same year, in which Jackson reprised her role for three seasons.
Jackson continued her career in the entertainment industry by temporarily switching to voice acting in Netflix's animated series Dragons: Rescue Riders and its various spinoffs. To date, the actress has stayed booked and busy by appearing in several music videos and filming other projects. Jackson recently completed a movie called Sheroes, which has since been released on all streaming platforms.
Regardless of the professional achievements that the now 21-year-old has accomplished over time, she has also dealt with the downside of social media, including being pinned against other women within the industry, and online bullying, among other things.
In an exclusive interview with xoNecole’s Miranda Johnson, Jackson opened up about how she's maintained a positive outlook on life despite the social media drama.
Skai On Her Life Motto "I Don't Care"
In the June discussion, Jackson dished on her life motto, "I don't care."
"I live by you can't just care. I don't care. Like that's my motto in life. Because you can't care what everybody has to say about you," she told us. "Because if you care, then you'll start living through the eyes of other people, and you're not going to be yourself. It's going to affect how you are mentally and just who you are as a person."
Further into the interview, Jackson added that because she has incorporated this motto in every aspect of her life, she only focuses on important issues and making an impact in the world.
"So I'm kind of in this phase of my life, if you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't," she said. "I don't really care, and I'm just here to make a positive impact on the world and people who actually inspire me, and I inspire them as well. So any negativity, it's just like I don't really care."
In light of Jackson's revelation, it appears the motto has worked very well for the star and could inspire others to take the same route to avoid any negativity.
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Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
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“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
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“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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