This week I watched the documentary on the Discovery channel about the rebuilding of Ground Zero in NY.

So emotional, so inspirational, so sad & happy at the same time. The building of the first new tower is emotional for me to watch. After all these years of so much pain and an empty hole, it is nice to see that there is finally restoration taking place. In a way, it’s like spending years not knowing what you are going to do with your life and then out of nowhere, things start taking shape. One brick at a time. We are always rebuilding. Whether its highways, buildings or our inner soul. I think of my voiceover career this way. Like I’m building a tall skyscraper, one floor at a time. Each floor has a goal. An objective.

Resilience- In the voiceover business, it’s easy to get down on yourself when you are having a bad day, week, month or even year! Focus on what has worked in the past but don’t be afraid to try new things. Success will come back to you like a boomerang. Some weeks are great, some weeks are tough. It’s a like musician who makes it to the top of the charts and then has to work twice has hard to back there again.

It seems every day there is this fine line between good & bad. There will always be people trying to take us down, intentionally or not. Spreading negativity, trying to break down what we are trying to build. It can be challenging because now we have social networking sites, where people can either choose to be supportive and positive or cynical and discouraging. The beauty is that we can decide who we are going to be connected with. This is the same in the real world.

So remember it is always your choice. Your choice who you are connected with, your choice to not be afraid, your choice to wake up every day & decide what brick you will add to your tower of life.

Build the life you dream of…..

*Special thanks to Tracy Blowers for contributing to this blog.

When I first started out in voiceovers, I didn’t have the same principles that I do now.  I would record a script and send it off.  Always with the old “that should be good enough” phrase dancing in my brain and rushing to move on to the next project.  I realized how unsatisfied I felt working this way – I knew I needed to make a change.  Once I started giving every project my best and full attention, I felt fulfilled.  It actually ended up giving me more time in my day because I wasn’t going back and forth with clients to make changes and edits.

When we settle for mediocrity and don’t do our best – our integrity and creativity starts to get lost. We tend to spread ourselves too thin, so we don’t do anything well.  I can say from experience that this is not a good place to be – for ourselves, our clients or even society.  Whether I am producing a voiceover demo for a student or a commercial for a client, I always take the time to review it.  Listen!  Listen!  Listen!  You are always going to be able to do it better.  Don’t do something once, say that it’s great and pass it on.  Work at it like an artist works on a painting.

The creative industry is filled with talented people with short attention spans, I should know, I am one of them!  Clients used to tell me that I sounded like I was in a hurry or that I was rushing the copy.  Again, this goes back to the frame of mind I was in.  I was not in the mindset of a professional.  I would always try and get each project done as quickly as possible without even thinking about the client.  Shame on you, Terry!  I was settling for mediocrity.

The great Martin Luther King Jr said “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well.  A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead and the unborn could do it no better.”

Find your passion, don’t settle and you will be amazed at what you can do!

Perhaps you want to become a voice over talent, break into a specific niche in the industry or expand your production skills to offer more to your clients and increase your earning potential.  Regardless of what you want, here are some steps to help you achieve it:

1.  Determine what you want.  Be clear about it and write it down.

2.  Find out what it takes to reach your goal by doing due diligence and researching to get accurate information from qualified experts who have accomplished what you want to accomplish.   If you want to be a voice over talent, don’t seek advice from someone who hasn’t achieved what you want to achieve.  Write down what it takes.

3.  Decide whether or not you are willing to do what it takes – not just what you want to do, but what it takes to accomplish your goal. If you want something bad enough, you will commit to doing what it takes.  Make a written pledge to yourself that you will do what it takes to achieve this goal.

4. Post your goal, the things you need to do to attain it and your commitment pledge in a place you will see it every day.

5.  Consistently and persistently work toward your goal by accomplishing at least two core tasks each day, one of which you would rather not do.  Hint:  If you want to achieve your goal quicker, then you will need to do more than two core tasks each day, especially those you would rather not do!

I am a voice over talent.  Yep, it’s what I do…every day!  How did I get to be a voice over talent?   I became a voice talent by consistently and persistently following these steps.   What do you want to achieve?  Create a new reality for yourself by consistently and persistently following these steps and one day you will wake up and realize that you have achieved your goal!

Why is this important?  I’m glad you asked!  Your vision is the big picture.  Suppose I give you a puzzle with no picture to reference.  Would you be able to put it together?  Perhaps.  Would you be able to do so as efficiently as if I were to give you a puzzle with a picture?  Probably not.  Your vision is the picture and your day to day activities are the puzzle pieces.  The great news is that you get to decide what the picture looks like.  The sooner you decide and write it down, the sooner you can prioritize your daily actions, your puzzle pieces, and make your vision your reality.

This is a competitive industry and to succeed you must keep your edge.  You must continue to grow, to challenge yourself and to strive.  Your vision is your edge and it has the power to propel you forward.  You choose whether you will move forward or in circles!