Chief Dream Chaser Aimee J. brings to the show people you never knew you needed to meet. Aimee talks to fellow dream chasers who share the story of their chase, the lessons they've learned, and have a good time doing it. Life is too short to live with regrets. You need to make moves, take a chance, and chase your dreams.
You can’t just be hustling all the time, you also need to take time to rest. We’ve been glorifying the hustle culture for far too long that taking a break seems unacceptable.
In this episode, Aimee tackles a topic that we don’t normally discuss - taking a break. For the longest time, we’ve been taught that hustling is the only way to achieve our dreams. We didn’t realize that too much hustle leads to burnout and not becoming the best version of ourselves.
There should be no shame in taking a break, it’s also a form of self-care. You spark more creative juices if you realize that your true power lies in having a rest.
THE IMPORTANCE OF REST
The hustle culture has been around for years but now we see a positive shift. People are more accepting of the thought that rest is needed if we want to function better.
As Aimee mentioned, we’re slowly learning that “hustling isn’t always the answer.” This comes from a personal experience as Aimee also learned the value of having rest.
Rest helps bring your energy level back up. If you’re consistently working without taking a break, it can be detrimental to your health. You might experience fatigue and burnout and this leads to not feeling motivated to go to work or do something you’ve always been passionate about.
You need to understand that your energy depletes if you’re too obsessed with work, and you need to restore this energy. Taking breaks helps you become more productive and stronger in the long run.
TWEET
"Hustling isn't always the answer." #chasingdream
QUOTE
"Rest helps bring your energy level back to come back stronger."
WHAT WE NEED TO TEACH THE NEXT GENERATION ABOUT REST
We’ve been taught working long hours indicates the highest quality of work but we come to realize that this is not effective. It blocks productivity and drains creativity.
We need to teach the next generation that rest is a significant part of work, regardless of the industry you’re in. Pulling all-nighters is not going to help all the time. It only teaches you to ineffectively manage your time.
The power is in the rest. If you’re someone who takes pride in not having a vacation, you better evaluate what you’re doing in life. Take a step back and figure out why you’re not having a well-deserved break.
Even schools are now acknowledging the importance of taking breaks for the mental health of students. We talked about this in Episode 261 (https://aimeej21.com/chasing-dreams/episode261/).
It’s the same thing for adults at work. They are at risk of experiencing burnout if they don’t allow themselves to take a break.
TWEET
"The power is in the rest." #chasingdreams
"You might...
15 Jun 2022
Ep 261: Aimee J – It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
We’re halfway through the year, it seems that days went by so fast. Some of us feel like not having enough time to process everything we’re going through. Some days we feel okay, others not so much. But you have to remember, it’s okay to not be okay.
In this episode, we have another inspiring discussion about it’s okay to not be okay. Aimee shares that for the past couple of months, she’s not feeling good. A lot of things happened, she lost some loved ones and this puts her in a space where she felt not okay.
During these days, Aimee didn’t feel like herself. She didn’t feel motivated, excited, or happy to do the things that normally give her joy. These may be the result of creative burnout and unfortunate life events.
Aimee shares her story and journey towards acceptance that there will be days that we don’t feel okay, and we’re allowed to experience and learn from this.
WE DON’T TALK ABOUT NOT BEING OKAY
Have you noticed that we don’t talk about not being okay? It seems like a prohibited topic in our society. According to an article published by Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/having-sex-wanting-intimacy/202202/5-reasons-people-don-t-talk-about-what-they-need-talk-about), there are various reasons why people are not encouraged to talk about what they need to express.
No one wants to talk about the hardships in life. We fear that this may only cause stress to the listener and additional anxiety to ourselves. But we have to accept that some days are not roses and butterflies.
We also have days when it’s enough to survive and make it until the end of the day. The good thing is that millennials and Generation Xs are setting a good example that it’s okay to talk about our bad days.
This act inspires the younger generation to acknowledge and accept not feeling okay. They see this as the norm and might continue doing it for future generations.
TWEET
"Some days, it's not roses. Some days it's just molasses." #chasingdreams
IT’S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY
It’s normal to not feel okay, to realize that not everything goes according to our plans. We all go through this phase and some may experience not being okay for the most part of the year.
Some people may think that they are not allowed to not feel okay because other humans depend on them. The classic example of this is being a parent. Parents think that it’s against the law to feel worried, out of place, confused, and so much more. because their kids look up to them.
This brings up too much pressure to feel okay despite having a raging fire inside that signals they don’t feel good. When parents do this, they build a notion that it’s undesirable to not have everything handled. And children may carry this belief until adulthood. They may think that not being okay means there is something wrong with me.
What we stand for today impacts the future. Our goal is to bring more awareness to mental suffering so that the kids of tomorrow
1 Jun 2022
Ep 260: Tim Tortora – How To Make It In Hollywood
For some, getting into the entertainment industry is like having that impossible dream that’s never going to happen. And the perpetual question everybody’s asking - how to make it in Hollywood?
In this episode, Tim Tortora tells how he conquered Hollywood and made a living out of it. He shares some of the biggest lessons that only the industry can impart and why building a connection is the number one factor for success in this arena.
WHAT DID YOUNG TIM WANT TO BE WHEN HE GREW UP?
With both parents having their own businesses, it’s somewhat expected for Tim to follow their path. But it was during a drive around studios that young Tim realized what he wanted to do in life.
Although the subtle implication was he was going to take over the family’s business as he grows older, Tim vividly remembers telling his dad, “I don’t want to do what you do, I want to work in Hollywood.”
As an undergraduate, he had a job in a recording studio as a tape operator. He eventually had a degree in advertising, and he just never stopped pursuing his passion. Tim was always adamant about creating his own path and always wanted to do the things he was interested in.
He thought that being a musician was for him and as he got close to realizing this dream, Tim saw that there were a lot of guys better than him. In his words, “they were more passionate than me, they played with soul.” He added, “I could play well, but I couldn’t play with soul flawlessly.”
Tim added that the guys who were good at playing music practiced for 6 hours a day. This was just not possible for him as he said, “there are a million other things I’d rather do in 6 hours than sit there and practice drums.”
He had the presence of mind to realize that he had a lot of interests, and he needed to pursue them.
TWEETS
"I'm not interested in your path, I want to go find my own." #chasingdreams
"I had the presence of mind at a young age to realize that I had a lot of interests and I needed to pursue them." #chasingdreams
QUOTES
"I wanted to pursue what I thought was interesting and what I dreamed of doing which was being a musician."
"I just had the presence of mind knowing that I'm not going to be happy following my dad's or my mom's path.”
"I could play well, but I couldn't play with soul flawlessly.
THE VALUE OF HAVING PRESENCE OF MIND
Since he spent most of his college career working in a recording studio, Tim saw firsthand band members who were broke, driving cars in bad conditions thus he was no stranger to the struggle.
He thought to himself, “I don’t want to be that guy, I don’t want to be struggling for art.”
His interesting journey of applying for work started when he sent out a cover letter with two typographical errors on it. Although he was not accepted because of this mistake, he corrected them and sent out another cover...
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