Navigating Career Aspirations, Seeing Our Worth, and How to Love Others Better Ft. Jessie Longest
Hello! Welcome to the first video podcast episode of Pretty Little Joys!
In this episode,our host Alice and guest Jessie Longest talk about seeing our self-worth, navigating career aspirations, and how to be “radically kind” in our materialistic society. This was such a fruitful conversation and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Below are some key quotes from our episode:
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<navigating career aspirations>
As an aspiring actor, how have you made sure that you are doing it for the right reasons?
Jessie: I believe that acting is the art for empathy because it requires actors to understand the characters and why they are the way they are, which can be applied to everyday life. I believe that doing it for others and for connection will give one greater fulfillment.
What do you think about the perspective of saving up first then going for your dream that may be less financially promising?
Jessie: Everyone’s circumstances are different. For an immigrant family that I spoke to once for example, a 9-5 job was their dream, so I think that no matter what your dream is, whether it is beyond something that is beyond a 9-5, whether it is a 9-5, or going to trade school, they are all important, worthwhile, and necessary.
Alice: You don’t have to go for your dream immediately if it doesn’t make sense for you at that moment in life, but you can find creative alternatives to shape your current job into something that helps you fulfill your dream. For example, I advised a friend who wants to be a writer that tells east asian narratives that she can work at corporations where she can interact with east asians in meaningful ways while she provides for her family.
Has there been a time where you took a leap of faith in something and it really turned out of the best ?
Jessie: for me, it was when I chose to pursue an acting career and apply to USC as a theater major. Once I made that decision and told my parents about it, opportunities started opening up, I met an acting coach that helped me into USC.
<overcoming lies and seeing our self worth>
Is there a lie that you believe about yourself and how did or is the lie affecting you?
Jessie: A lie that I believe about myself is that I am incapable, whether that is acting a scene well, or being a good friend, or a good daughter, but slowly learning that I have so much to offer to the world just by existing helps me get over the lie.
Alice: A lie that I used to believe about myself is that I am unlovable, but understanding that I am more than what I can give has helped me with that.
It also helped to recognize that I am more than just a general label, a daughter, an artist, a student, I am a specific person’s daughter, an artist with a specific story behind my craft, and a student at a specific institution studying a specific thing for a specific reason.
Identifying where the lie came from is an important step in overcoming the lie, because you realize that the source is not actually credible , so where do you think the lie came from?
Jessie: In terms of acting, there were not that many examples of people who succeeded in what I want to do from my town in Iowa, so my upbringing definitely played a part in it.
Alice: I believed in that lie because I am used to getting praise from others for supporting them etc, so I tied my self worth to what I can give.
What tangible steps can you take to overcome the lie?
Jessie: understanding that people’s opinions are informed by experience and looking at caution with yourself as well.
<radical kindness and radical inclusion>
“Radical compassion means rooting all you say and do in kindness, being unconditionally kind all the time, to everyone. It means going beyond situational niceness or merely doing the right thing” and, instead, living from a place of compassion.” – Angela C. Santomero
We come from a materialistic society that tells us to pour into relationships that can help us in some way. What are some things that you think we can all do to adopt radical inclusion / radical compassion in our everyday life ?
Although it is not always easy to give people kindness, it doesn't take much to be kind. Some things I try to do is to ask my lyft or uber drivers how their day is, and to always say thank you to service workers. A mindset that I have is that we are all humans trying our best in this world and then giving people a time of the day.
