Introducing The Optimist Project with Yara Shahidi

Summary

Wrong Turns with Jameela Jamil

Episode: Introducing The Optimist Project with Yara Shahidi
Release Date: November 21, 2024

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Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of Wrong Turns with Jameela Jamil, host Jameela Jamil welcomes special guest Yara Shahidi to introduce The Optimist Project. This segment delves into discussions about creativity, purpose, and the power of optimism, setting the stage for an inspiring conversation centered around maintaining positivity amidst life's challenges.

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Guest Introduction: Janelle Monae

Yara Shahidi opens the conversation by spotlighting the multifaceted artist Janelle Monae, highlighting her contributions as a musician, actor, producer, and fashion icon. Yara emphasizes Janelle's blend of futuristic vision with emotional depth, portraying her as a pioneer who uses her platform to challenge traditional norms and empower others.

Yara Shahidi [00:07]: "From Janelle's genre-defying sound to her boundary-pushing visuals, she's a true pioneer, blending futuristic vision with pure emotion."

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Defining Optimism: Janelle's Perspective

Janelle Monae shares her personal definition of optimism, framing it as an internal construct shaped by one's perceptions. She acknowledges that while external circumstances can impact one's outlook, maintaining optimism is largely about how one architects their internal narrative.

Janelle Monae [02:21]: "I realized, like, I'm the architect of my perceptions. How I'm feeling about me, how I'm feeling about you, how I'm feeling about them, how I'm feeling about life."

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Personal Practices for Maintaining Optimism

Janelle delves into the daily practices she employs to sustain her optimistic mindset. She discusses the importance of self-reminders and the strategic use of digital tools to manage her emotions, especially during challenging times like PMS. Janelle emphasizes the necessity of deliberate effort in maintaining a positive outlook.

Janelle Monae [03:39]: "I have a whole notes app that I keep where I'm like, okay, this is for when you're PMSing and you think the whole world is going against you. It is not true. It is your hormones. It will pass."

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Tools and Techniques: Notes App vs. Journaling

The conversation transitions to practical methods for fostering optimism. Janelle advocates for using the Notes app as a versatile tool for capturing both positive affirmations and tracking emotional patterns. She contrasts this with traditional journaling, highlighting the accessibility and immediacy of digital note-taking.

Janelle Monae [06:30]: "And if you're like me, I can be super analytical and I wanna get to the root of something and I'll put the dates and I'm like, okay, this tracks."

Yara adds her perspective, appreciating the convenience of digital notes over physical journals, which aligns with the podcast's theme of practical optimism.

Yara Shahidi [07:12]: "The idea of having a journal, finding the time versus we have whatever is accessible to you in that moment where you have it on you."

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Overcoming Negative Patterns

Janelle addresses the challenge of breaking free from negative thought loops, emphasizing the role of mental health care and self-awareness. She discusses how recognizing repetitive patterns can lead to greater peace and joy, illustrating the transformative power of intentional mindset shifts.

Janelle Monae [04:07]: "One of the things that I learned later in my career was to invest in a good mental health care plan and to set some money aside and have that person who is able to remind me of the patterns that I'm having."

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Yara Shahidi's Takeaways and Audience Engagement

Yara reflects on the conversation, sharing her commitment to self-ownership and embracing her true self as keys to unlocking personal power. She encourages listeners to adopt similar practices, such as writing affirmations and celebrating personal growth steps, fostering a community of optimism.

Yara Shahidi [08:11]: "Prioritizing showing up as myself and for myself... it was empowering, exciting and freeing."

She invites the audience to engage by sharing their own affirmations and doses of optimism, reinforcing the episode's message of collective positivity.

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with actionable advice for listeners to incorporate optimism into their daily lives. By leveraging digital tools and fostering self-awareness, Janelle Monae and Yara Shahidi provide a roadmap for maintaining a positive mindset. The conversation underscores the importance of intentional practices in cultivating lasting joy and resilience.

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Notable Quotes:

• Janelle Monae [02:37]: "It's all in my mind."
• Yara Shahidi [08:11]: "Embracing who we truly are... is the key to unlocking our power in everything we touch."

Timestamp Highlights:

• 00:07: Introduction of Janelle Monae and the theme of optimism.
• 02:21: Janelle defines optimism as self-architected perceptions.
• 03:39: Discussion on using Notes app for emotional management.
• 06:30: Janelle explains her method of tracking emotions and positive thoughts.
• 08:11: Yara shares her personal takeaways on self-ownership and empowerment.

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Note: Advertisements and non-content segments have been omitted to focus solely on the substantive discussions of the episode.

Transcript

[Janelle Monae]

How dare I curate so many experiences for the rest of the world and I not enjoy them?

[Yara Shah]

Artist extraordinaire, lover of Swedish fish candy, professional note taker, and the fairy glam mother of Halloween. Did you guess? I'm talking about the Janelle Monae. Welcome to the Optimist project, where we explore the world through the lens of creativity, purpose, and the power of optimism. I'm your host, Yara Shah. Heady. And today we're exploring the extraordinary world of Janelle Monae, a creative force whose artistry has inspired me and millions of others. From Janelle's genre defying sound to her boundary pushing visuals, she's a true pioneer, blending futuristic vision with pure emotion as a musician, actor, producer, fashion icon, and total vision expander. But beyond the talent, boldness, and inspiring, Style's work is grounded in something even deeper. Purpose. Whether she's interrogating traditional norms or creating space for others to be heard, her work is more than just entertainment. It's a call to action. Today we'll explore how Monet's love of self and love for others continues to show up and shape her journey and explode her purpose. So join me in taking it all in. Take notes and get ready to be energized by the smoothness that is Janelle Monae. Let's get inspired.

[Unknown]

I just want to start by saying thank you for joining us here at the Optimist Project.

[Janelle Monae]

Oh, my God. Are you kidding me? This is a highlight for me, you know? I love you so much. I love you so much.

[Unknown]

And I just feel like you have always been in any space I see you such an embodiment of joy, even in spaces where I'm like, how do you maintain that level of warmth and kindness when people are coming at you with all sorts of energy? So I can't wait to just kind of dive deeper about how you've maintained that for yourself.

[Janelle Monae]

Yes. So ask me anything.

[Unknown]

Yeah, Well, I love to start with the question, how do you define optimism for yourself?

[Janelle Monae]

I define optimism for myself. It was in your. You know, when they say, can you. I'm gonna ask you a question, and can you put the answer within the question? Your question was that answer. It's all in my mind.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Janelle Monae]

Obviously, there are circumstances where if you are, you know, not feeling well or someone's passed on and you're sad, those are things that can sort of drag you longer than you want to be when it comes to being optimistic about life and about what's next. But for the most, it took me a while to get it? But I realized, like, I'm the architect of my perceptions. How I'm feeling about me, how I'm feeling about you, how I'm feeling about them, how I'm feeling about life. And it's not an easy thing to do. By default, it takes work.

[Unknown]

I can imagine. When did you realize that this was the work you were gonna start to do of architecting your own life? Because it sounds great and I hear it, and each time I go, that's exactly where I wanna be. But like, you're saying, in daily practice, it takes so much self work, so many reminders, so much grace. I can imagine.

[Janelle Monae]

Yeah, I think reminders. You said it. I have a whole notes app that I keep where I'm like, okay, this is for when you're PMSing and you think the whole world is going against you. It is not true. It is your hormones. It will pass. You have to sort of write letters for your future self.

[Unknown]

I'm using my notes app all wrong. I have rap bars on there for my future drill career.

[Janelle Monae]

That's important too.

[Unknown]

But I'm not. But when you said this, I'm like, oh, my goodness. Duh.

[Janelle Monae]

One of the things that I learned later in my career was to invest in a good mental health care plan and to set some money aside and have that person who is able to remind me of the patterns that I'm having, the loop that I may be going in around, you know, not healing from certain things. And I think once you sort of get tired of, like, you just get tired of running around in the same circles, you. You start to feel what that feels like in your body when you're not in that rat race. And once I felt, like, a sense of joy and peace and optimism about life and about possibility and about getting up and going past the mistakes that I felt defined me. It was always the goal. It was like, no, this is where. Let me remember this feeling. Let me remember this high. Let me remember that this is how I'm supposed to be feeling. I'm actually. I've been doing it all wrong.

[Unknown]

Mm. Yeah. I love what you're saying. Just because I think about a lot of my practices, and I've been trying to get into journaling more frequently, because what I realized was it was really easy for me to journal when I'm upset, when there's something worth documenting, I'm like, well, now I have a whole journal of me documenting all the moments in which I was at my lowest versus trying to find a practice that helps me retain Those feelings, those memories, those things that brought out the best in me. Where is the documentation of that? In my own kind of archive in life.

[Janelle Monae]

That brings me to again, notes. I love notes. I literally have to make sure that I'm balancing my PMS thoughts. I know I talk about PMS a lot.

[Unknown]

No, but still, when do you have the wherewithal to be like, let me write a letter now? Because I can imagine when you're in it, you're not wanting to write.

[Janelle Monae]

So I have all these. I'm only going to show you. I can't show you guys. But you see all of these, These are pinned. So you see pms. And so I put the dates. Put dates. Because it really helps to track. Like, oh, okay. Ah. This is just hormonal right now. Like I can stop thinking that this is gonna be my reality forever. Cause it won't. It'll pass.

[Unknown]

Right?

[Janelle Monae]

And these are the dates, these are the facts. And if you're like me, like I have a. I can be super analytical and I wanna get to the root of something and I'll put the dates and I'm like, okay, this tracks. And then I remember how I was feeling. And then I have another notes that says happy thoughts.

[Unknown]

I love how filled it is.

[Janelle Monae]

Happy thoughts. Look at all of this.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I love how filled it is right now.

[Janelle Monae]

All is well. I'm not trying to be perfect, so I will not obsess over hitting every note on stage or every dance move. I am not comparing myself to anyone. I have a built in internal support system for myself. My light is infectious no matter who I touch or speak with.

[Unknown]

This is beautiful. Thank you for being open to sharing. But it's such a good reminder of one. I love the Notes app because we talk journaling a lot in personal life here, but still it becomes such an event. The idea of having a journal, finding the time versus we have whatever is accessible to you in that moment where you have it on you. I love the idea of being on my phone because I have it on me more than I have a journal on me or any other thing on me.

[Janelle Monae]

Exactly.

[Unknown]

And I love the idea of writing dates and writing those remind those very specific reminders. Because the idea that it will pass, we may know it, but it's something that's so easy to forget all the time.

[Janelle Monae]

Because our brains are depending on how we've programmed them based on our experiences and how we grew up. The default is to go into what it's used to and you have to do a lot of work to reprogram that.

[Yara Shah]

After this conversation, I'm doubling down on owning me. Janelle reminded us that embracing who we truly are, not who we think we should be or how others want us to show up is the key to unlocking our power in everything we touch. Our daily work, our passion projects, our music, art. The goal is to continue to discover who we want to be. So my takeaway? Prioritizing showing up as myself and for myself. I noticed that it can be uncomfortable, but aren't all new endeavors. And I also realized that the discomfort was temporary. More importantly, it was empowering, exciting and freeing. My goal? To lean into the temporary discipline, discomfort and to acknowledge and celebrate each step towards me. So we're asking you to join us and take a page from Janelle Monae and write a note of encouragement or affirmation on your phone, computer, or even in a notebook. Be your own biggest fan in moments of uncertainty. I'm beginning right now by writing an affirmation in my notes app on my phone. You can pop over to our Instagram to see what I wrote and we'd love to hear from you. Share a dose of optimism from your week and tag usptimistprojectpod. Leave a message at 323-761-0837 or email us askoptimistprojectmail.com you can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Be sure to share the Optimist project with your friends. Subscribe, click those stars and leave. Leave us a review and as always, keep nurturing optimism.

[Unknown]

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[Yara Shah]

Terms apply.

[Unknown]

See Walmart plus terms and conditions.

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