Theresa C. Ho voice over

Yes, yes, yes! I am repeating myself several times because I want to highlight that THIS – mindset – is an essential element in determining one’s success professionally and in life, quite frankly.

 

Why Mindset is Everything

Mindset coaching is a billion-dollar industry and growing. From business people, to athletes to voice actors and beyond, people who want to succeed know that having a winning attitude and positive thought process is key. They often turn to others to get them where they feel they need to be, to grow and to succeed.

Having a positive mindset is vital. When we harbor on a negative mindset, it will slowly eat away at us, like a growing fungus. When you feel down, people can hear it in your voice. When you’re desperate, people can hear the desperation in your voice. Is that how you want to come across when you’re auditioning or contacting potential clients?

 

Challenges for Everyone

Sure, I’ve had bad days and periods when I’ve felt down and frustrated. We all have those days. It’s absolutely normal. But what’s important is being able to accept it and move past it. If you can’t get over feeling bad about yourself, you will not, I repeat, will not be able to achieve the success that you absolutely deserve.

It’s not only beginners who face challenges with mindset. There are industry professionals, of all levels, who go through difficult periods in how they think or feel.

 

Dealing with Rejection

As voice actors, we face rejection much more than the average person. We do, on a regular basis, face rejection in the form of not booking our auditions, not having auditions listened to, not hearing back from direct marketing reach outs and yes, even some in-your-face – please don’t contact me again type of rejections. Is this type of rejection difficult to deal with? It can be, but you don’t need to let it get to you.

I try not to take any of it personally. If I don’t get booked for the job, it’s very possible that someone else gave a better audition or maybe I just didn’t have the right voice. If I get a “please remove me from your contact list” message, I just do it and move on. I try not to dwell upon the rejections or non-bookings.

We have to learn to audition and forget about them once we submit. Maybe it’s easier said than done, but if we make a conscious effort, eventually, we will develop this type of mindset. When I first started out in voice over, I would analyze my auditions after I submitted them. I would think, “well, maybe I should have done this or that.” But I’ve learned to submit and move on. If you can’t do this, you will drive yourself crazy.

There are so many elements in our professional lives that we cannot control. But the one thing that we can control is ourselves. We can choose our own paths – the path that will bring us success. And no one is responsible for your success except you. We can choose positivity versus negativity. We can choose action over inaction. We can choose to deal with people who bring positivity to our lives.

I’ve always told my children that one’s success is built upon one’s determination and initiative. You get out of life what you put into it.

 

Other things to Remember

To keep a positive mindset means to keep a healthy mind and body. To do this, sometimes we need to recharge our batteries, and yes, that means taking a vacation. It can also mean unplugging ourselves from the digital world – from the never-ending emails, phone calls, messages, etc. that we are inundated with on a daily basis. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others, including our clients. A burned out, sick employee/service provider is of no help to those we are supposed to be serving.

 

You can do it! Yes, you can!

Isn’t this the type of message we tell our kids when we are encouraging them to try new things, to power on when they feel discouraged? Well, we should be telling ourselves the same thing! It’s sure a heck of a lot better than thinking, “Hey, you suck and you cannot do it.” Right?

 

Let Yourself be Empowered by YOU!

Giving yourself permission to be great and to be the best that you can be is enormously powerful. Give yourself permission to try new things and to fail. Failing here and there will help you further develop yourself as a person and as a professional.  Stop over thinking everything. When we over analyze, we end up suffering from analysis paralysis.

 

Steps to Take When Feeling Down

How are you going to get your mojo back? Or if you never felt that you had it, how can you discover it?

When I feel stuck or am in need of help, my accountability buddies are ALWAYS there for me. Not only do we hold each other accountable for our goals and help each other in so many other ways, but we’re always just a message, phone call or Zoom call away when we need a little boost. And sometimes when you can’t see for yourself how truly awesome you are, usually, there is someone who recognizes your greatness and is very happy to help you get out of your slump. If you don’t have an accountability group, I highly recommend that you try to develop one.

You can also reach out to a mentor, if you have one. If you don’t, try to find one. For voice actors, the World Voices Organization or WoVO is a great resource for beginner voice actors and veterans alike. They have a ton of resources, including a mentorship program that is included in your membership fee.

I also enjoy listening to podcasts that focus on positive thinking and mindset. There are also so many books out there that can help one reset one’s outlook.

Also, don’t forget to have fun and do the things that make you happy!

The voice over community is an amazing one. There is always someone willing to help. If you ever need to chat or need a pep talk, feel free to reach out to me!

Thanks for reading to the end! Smile, and remember, you’re awesome!!