Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to A.J. Castro. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
A.J., thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
To me, resilience comes from progress. It’s easy to “give up” on anything when you don’t see progress. Small victories are important even if they’re only for yourself. It can be something small, that no one will ever see or know except you. For example, let’s say you want to be “healthier”. Start by giving yourself task, let’s say that task is to wake up early and go for a walk tomorrow. Make sure you follow through with that task, do not compromise that task, make sure you follow through. We try so hard not to let other people down, in society we look down upon being “flaky”. So why would you allow to let yourself down, or to be flaky to yourself? After that task is complete, make a contract with yourself that you want to do that for two days or a week, or a month, and follow through with that contract. Small victories help create habits and habits help create an attitude of achievement. Once you have that attitude of achievement, it’s hard not to be resilient because you crave that progress. Small habits can be applied to whatever you want to achieve and then making progress toward that achievement fosters resilience.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve been in the entertainment industry since 2006 and have been lucky to work on big projects with big-name talent. The most exciting thing about being an actor is that you get to step into different shoes and get to see life from a different perspective. It allows you to be a chameleon. I really enjoy trying to understand the mind of a character I play. Why do they say certain things the way they do? Understanding the characters I play helps me be more understanding of the world around me.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I really think that being open to new experiences has helped me reach my goals. So that’s number one, be open to new experiences. Sometimes it’s scary to jump into something. Many people suffer from paralysis by analysis. Sometimes you just have to be open and take the leap. I also believe that understanding you can always be better or learn something new is important. So number two is to keep learning, have a curious mind. In any business, continuous education is important and helps you stay sharp. Finally, I would say it’s important to find people who share your goals. Have a support team, a “family”, a group of like-minded individuals who can motivate you and who you can also lend support to and motivate when they need it.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Social Media is a great way to connect. I am always open to collaborations. I think two minds are better than one and it’s important to surround yourself with motivated individuals.
My goal is to launch my own production company and create my ideas and my visions. Anyone who has a similar goal in wanting to make their vision come to life should strive towards that goal.
Social Media has extended everyone an easy way to connect and build with each other. You can find me on Instagram @realajcastro and we can see if there is an opportunity to build something together.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realajcastro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Realajcastro
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-j-castro-74561a32/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealAJCastro
