For anyone who’s feeling burnt out or struggling with creative block:

1. It’s ok to feel burnt out and it’s ok to struggle
2. Sometimes, feeling burnt out is part of the growing process
3. You can learn a lot about yourself during this phase
4. If you’re struggling, don’t worry, it’s going to be okay

The first step is figure out why you feel burnt out, because there are a lot of different ways it can happen, and you can’t start working on a solution until you figure out the cause of the problem. For some, it may be lack of rest of lack of balance in their life. For others, it might be an overwhelming pressure from themselves or others to perform. It could be that you’re overworked, with too many things on your plate. Maybe there are external influences that are draining your energy, or internal influences causing self doubt.

Lack of rest can originate from several things, like not sleeping enough or not taking care of your body (getting enough exercise and nutrition). Often times, it can also come from not giving the mind enough idle or relaxation time. If you’re not giving yourself down time and you’re constantly driving yourself to be productive, you’re probably not doing enough things to recharge and reset your focus. Some ways that you can counteract this is to sleep, eat healthy foods, do some cardio (get your blood pumping) and get bored. Get off your phone and just let your mind wander without the distraction of screens.

If you’re struggling from the pressure to perform, you or others are probably putting unrealistic expectations onto you. You don’t have to hit a home run every time you go up to swing - that’s just putting too much pressure on you and very quickly leads to perfectionism and the fear of judgement. Some things you can do to combat this are to just do things for yourself and do them poorly. If you’re struggling to write a song, purposely write a bad one just to get something started. Create a video and don’t post it, just get in the habit of doing things for yourself and not others.

There are many more things I have to say about feeling burned out and how to get past it, but instead of typing everything out, I’ll just let you listen to the podcast!

People may think that Extroverts have it better than Introverts, that they’re more equipped for success because of their outgoing nature. However, Introverts have unique qualities that, if taken advantage of and strengthened, can give them a significant advantage over Extroverts, especially when it comes to networking and business.

One of the primary defining differences between Introverts and Extroverts is that Introverts expend energy in social situations while Extroverts gain energy from them. As a result of that, many Introverts tend to avoid the spotlight and large group conversations. That may seem counter intuitive when it comes to networking, but it can actually turn into a strong, advocate-building networking strategy!

When it comes to networking, most people believe that it’s all about the numbers, that you need to meet as many people as possible. However, truly strong and lasting networks are built from deep personal connections. This is because people, though will often forget specific details or what you said, will remember how you made them feel. The best way to do that is to engage in deep 1-on-1 conversations.

In this week’s LIVEcast, I discuss some strategies for how to do this, but really there are a myriad of strengths that Introverts have and many methods for how to capitalize on them. Let me know if you’d like me to share more!

No, other people are not purposely trying to hurt you, you’re just projecting onto them your own assumptions of what they’re thinking. Believe it or not, most people are not actively trying to hurt or offend you. People are just trying to live out their lives and make decisions that make the most sense for them. After all, everyone has a different set of circumstances and priorities.

If you find yourself feeling butthurt about not getting invited to an event or someone saying no to you, chances are you’re overthinking it and taking it way too personally. If someone doesn’t invite you to an event, maybe there wasn’t enough space or they simply forgot because event coordinating is such a huge task. If someone says no, maybe it’s just not the right time or they have other commitments.

Either way, 99% of the time for 99% of people out there, decisions regarding their daily lives are not personal. People are not trying to smite you. They just have other priorities and they’re just trying to do what’s best for them.

If you find yourself feeling butthurt frequently, I would kindly recommend you assess how you perceive the actions of others, relative to you. Perhaps you’re processing everything that others do relative to yourself instead of realizing that others don’t know your thoughts or desires. Coming to that realization is key for healthy friendships and other types of relationships because, just like how you have your own wants and needs, others have them too.

If you’ve been lied to, taken advantage of, tricked, or betrayed, that really sucks but it’s also partially your fault. I know it’s a difficult thing to hear, but misplacing your trust is something you need to acknowledge and work on if you constantly find yourself being hurt by others in those ways.

More often than not, we trust others simply due to proximity, a smile, how they look, how they are dressed, how many mutual friends you have, etc. This is especially problematic when they claim to be of the same religion or cultural practice as you. Because others claim to have similar hobbies or beliefs, we subconsciously project our own identity onto them and it opens up a flood of opportunities for complete strangers to take advantage of your trust.

What we need to do is be more discerning and wise with who we choose to trust and confide in. Even in the world of business, we should exercise caution (I’ve heard many tales of people claiming to be Christian just to get a discount on services) because people are always looking for a deal that’s best for them and what’s best for them isn’t always at all good for you.

I’m not saying to not trust anyone ever, but rather to just use good judgement and not to make assumptions about the quality of someone’s character just from their words.

For several years now, I’ve wanted to improve my public speaking and communication skills, but have been too shy, nervous, and full of excuses.

That’s why, as my 2019 New Year Resolution, I decided to host a weekly, live talk show! It’s not a perfect strategy for improving my communication capabilities, but it’s definitely a start and, similar to my daily vlogs, it’s public + on a schedule + all about making things happen (hence why I’m starting on Christmas Eve, rather than waiting til the New Year)!

I have a good amount of things on my work plate, so I decided to do all of these talk shows live with minimal editing so I don’t get too bogged down in production. This probably works out for the better anyway since I have a tendency to fall into perfectionism. Plus, doing things live will give a much better representation of my actual communication skills than if I recorded and did multiple takes!

If you have any feedback, suggestions, or advice, please share with me so I can continue to improve! Thanks for the support :D