Staying Positive

What I would like to say in this post, is if you do not have a personal life, hobbies you enjoy, family you love and can spend time with, outside of work - please please try and do that.

Last week someone gave me some great advice. “Please remember to keep one foot in your life.” It isn’t like I hadn’t heard it before, however for some reason, the way she said it, resonated differently.

Working in the business of entertainment is intoxicating. When you are asked, “What do you do for fun?” it’s often hard to put your finger on it. Fun? My fun was often always related to my work. Fun, adventurous work. I traveled, had adventures like many would never dream of experiencing and it was fun. Again. Fun. But again, work… Work I loved. However, most humans in any other industry when asked that question don’t say “oh I look over my spreadsheets for fun,” or “I practice medical procedures for fun.” Most say when asked that question “I love to go to movies!, to watch TV!, to read books!, to attend live events! music!” Or some activity surrounding it. Entertainment. But for us, as much as it’s fun, it’s work. It’s fun work. So I struggled with answering that pat question “what do you do for fun?” Because I love my work. I am very very good at it. So good at it that it can be fun for me and I can truly enjoy it as it’s happening. But fun? Outside of work? Always had trouble with that … till now.

This pandemic has given us all a great deal of space to think, regroup, meditate, pray, and remember that in times of sadness and uncertainty, we are still entitled to also have joy and have fun. And in that realization, I found that in having my own fun, it reinvigorated my work and got me excited that I could add another layer to my existence and have even more to give.

For me, it’s painting. I don’t know how good I am at it, but I know I enjoy it. Further, in not looking at it as commerce, it’s even more fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s terrible, lol, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the creating that gives me the satisfaction of doing something creative that is not through a public relations lens. I also really enjoy reading about Astronomy. Physics, theories, people thinking all the time. It’s fascinating to me. It’s a hobby and it’s not work and I realized let’s me keep one foot in my own life.

Especially during the Pandemic where an extraordinary amount of energy is on economics, paychecks or lack thereof and the need to feel good related to making money - don’t forget what brings you joy and don’t forget to focus on that.

My recommendation is to find something you love, and if you are in the entertainment business, try very hard to protect that love and do NOT work in it. Keep it to yourself, your little jewel that you can enjoy and satisfy your inner child’s yearning for something unadulterated and yours to just have fun with.

If there is one thing we are learning in this time, perhaps remembering that our own lives matter, as much as the people we take care of, needs to be strong and present in our daily lives. As we don’t know how long we will be here and need to enjoy every moment, no matter which foot you put your weight on.

Love,

Amy

This is Taco

I adopted a cat during lockdown