Is your life’s dream really, and I mean REALLY your dream?
At the risk of using the word REALLY twelve more times, I’ll put it this way: is it your dream in theory or in practice?
When people learn what it is that I do or we get to talking about it, quite a few tell me that their dream is to be a voice actor and do voiceover full time, or even to get started in it. There’s a lot of interest in it from the get-go. So when I casually ask what steps they’re taking to make that dream a reality, it’s often met with a long pause, an “I’m busy with x, y, and z”, or they run away. Just kidding. That hasn’t happened yet…
If your dream is to be a singer and compete on “American Idol”, but you’ve never taken a singing lesson or performed onstage, how far do you think you’re really going to get? If your life’s passion and mission is to be a veterinarian and save animals, but you haven’t even filled out the application for veterinary school… do you see where I’m going with this? It’s not really much different than voice acting — the key to getting started is to get started. Sign up for coaching, take voiceover classes, listen to podcasts on voiceover, read books and articles on it, learn as much as you can. Take an acting class! If you want to be a voice actor, you’ve got to know how to act!
I totally get it… doing something new is never easy, and it’s harder to think about what happens if we fail. What if it doesn’t work out the way we hope it will? What do we do then? What will people think of us? How will we go to bed at night with the feeling of absolute failure? Now, take a step back for a second and breathe. Un-clench your jaw, relax your shoulders, and take a slow, deep breath. Now do it again. Then come back to read some more. We’re not ending on that note 🙂
Chasing after our dreams can be overwhelming. Sometimes it’s a daunting feeling, met with overwhelm and equal parts joy and terror at the thought of succeeding. Many people are terrified to fail, but even moreso of success, because it changes everything (but we’ll do another post on that later). Maybe you’re just starting out, or you’ve been doing this for a while and aren’t sure of what’s going to happen. That’s okay! Nobody knows, and nothing is guaranteed. The future is putty, and it’s in your hands to shape it. Not knowing is scary, but at the same time, it’s liberating — because anything can happen.
Wondering what can you do right now? Take a step — any step! It doesn’t mean packing up your bags and flying on the next plane out to Los Angeles. But start where you are and take one step forward. There are so many resources available to you now, and so much information out there (hello, Google) — and lots of people who are ready and willing to help you! You don’t have to do it alone.
It might seem strange, but I often look at things this way: the future isn’t guaranteed to any of us, so if today was your last day and you didn’t try to make your dreams come true while you still had the time, would you regret it? If you weren’t taking any steps towards making your dreams come true, I hope that gives you some food for thought and motivation to take one step today.
So, I’ll ask it again: is it your dream in theory, or in practice? The only way you’re going to find out is by actually taking the steps to making the dream a reality. Your dreams aren’t meant to be experienced in theory. They’re meant to be lived.
Why the Voiceover Superhero?
A fellow VO colleague asked me how my branding is working for me in my business and said that they were thinking of doing something similar until they were advised against it by someone outside the industry. Had this been me ten years ago, I would’ve re-evaluated my whole brand and gone into a “Did I make a mistake?!” spiral, because back then I wouldn’t have believed it, and it wouldn’t have felt genuine and authentic. But me today? Nope. So why did I pick The Voiceover Superhero as my branding?
To answer their first question, I’d say it’s going pretty well. When you create your business brand, it needs to be about what is associated with you, what you do, and your message needs to be clear. I was raised in geek culture, and could identify and name the members of The Justice League and the X-Men before I started preschool. But it goes beyond that. At my core, I’ve always strived to be of service and help others, to offer guidance and support, to be a problem solver. Superheroes have been my own personal heroes and have served as my North Star during very dark and trying times. With the world feeling as scary as it is, we could all use more superheroes right about now.
Basically, it isn’t about me, in a braggadocious manner. It’s about what I can do for my clients, my colleagues, my friends, and my family. If I can’t be the solution they’re looking for, I want to be the person who can help them find it. Difficult things and tasks don’t scare me. I don’t give up easily. I believe that the impossible can be done. I’m living proof that great things can come from small and difficult beginnings, and I believe in the power of people combining their powers to make change happen. I believe we’re all stronger when we work together.
So when you boil it down, that’s why I chose to represent myself as The Voiceover Superhero, to be the person that can help save the day. Because where there’s a Williams, there’s definitely a way.
I’d love to hear the backstory of your branding!
Is it REALLY your dream?
Is your life’s dream really, and I mean REALLY your dream?
At the risk of using the word REALLY twelve more times, I’ll put it this way: is it your dream in theory or in practice?
When people learn what it is that I do or we get to talking about it, quite a few tell me that their dream is to be a voice actor and do voiceover full time, or even to get started in it. There’s a lot of interest in it from the get-go. So when I casually ask what steps they’re taking to make that dream a reality, it’s often met with a long pause, an “I’m busy with x, y, and z”, or they run away. Just kidding. That hasn’t happened yet…
If your dream is to be a singer and compete on “American Idol”, but you’ve never taken a singing lesson or performed onstage, how far do you think you’re really going to get? If your life’s passion and mission is to be a veterinarian and save animals, but you haven’t even filled out the application for veterinary school… do you see where I’m going with this? It’s not really much different than voice acting — the key to getting started is to get started. Sign up for coaching, take voiceover classes, listen to podcasts on voiceover, read books and articles on it, learn as much as you can. Take an acting class! If you want to be a voice actor, you’ve got to know how to act!
I totally get it… doing something new is never easy, and it’s harder to think about what happens if we fail. What if it doesn’t work out the way we hope it will? What do we do then? What will people think of us? How will we go to bed at night with the feeling of absolute failure? Now, take a step back for a second and breathe. Un-clench your jaw, relax your shoulders, and take a slow, deep breath. Now do it again. Then come back to read some more. We’re not ending on that note 🙂
Chasing after our dreams can be overwhelming. Sometimes it’s a daunting feeling, met with overwhelm and equal parts joy and terror at the thought of succeeding. Many people are terrified to fail, but even moreso of success, because it changes everything (but we’ll do another post on that later). Maybe you’re just starting out, or you’ve been doing this for a while and aren’t sure of what’s going to happen. That’s okay! Nobody knows, and nothing is guaranteed. The future is putty, and it’s in your hands to shape it. Not knowing is scary, but at the same time, it’s liberating — because anything can happen.
Wondering what can you do right now? Take a step — any step! It doesn’t mean packing up your bags and flying on the next plane out to Los Angeles. But start where you are and take one step forward. There are so many resources available to you now, and so much information out there (hello, Google) — and lots of people who are ready and willing to help you! You don’t have to do it alone.
It might seem strange, but I often look at things this way: the future isn’t guaranteed to any of us, so if today was your last day and you didn’t try to make your dreams come true while you still had the time, would you regret it? If you weren’t taking any steps towards making your dreams come true, I hope that gives you some food for thought and motivation to take one step today.
So, I’ll ask it again: is it your dream in theory, or in practice? The only way you’re going to find out is by actually taking the steps to making the dream a reality. Your dreams aren’t meant to be experienced in theory. They’re meant to be lived.
Have You Gone Off Track?
Photo by Engin Akyurt
Most people lose their momentum and drive to fulfill their New Year’s Resolutions by mid-February. Are you still moving forward, or have your goals fallen by the waysides?
If you feel like you’ve been off your game for a while, you’re not alone. Getting back on track with anything can feel overwhelming, but you can do it.
First of all, there’s no perfect time to start, nor perfect circumstances. The stars won’t be aligned one way or another with a giant sign that says “THIS IS IT!”. If you’re waiting for the “right time”, then that time is NOW.
Then you’ve gotta identify where things went wrong. You can’t fix something if you don’t know what broke it, right? Get to the root of it, see it, acknowledge it, give it a name.
Next, scale it back a bit. It’s harder to go from 0 to 100 than it is to go from 0 to 60. Trying to do too much at once will only set you back further. Start with one thing you can do to course-correct. Then once you’ve got that down, add another. Then another. There are layers to improvement. Ingredients, if you will, to what you’re trying to create. You’re the chef or the baker of your life, and it’s all one big recipe. (Okay, okay, enough with the puns. Now I want to leave the studio and go to the kitchen!)
Last but certainly not least, keep yourself accountable. Know that it won’t always be 100% every single day, but the forward effort will keep you going. Give yourself grace on the days you fall short, but also strive to improve. Command your efforts for when you do stay on target, but at all costs: keep moving forward.
You can do this!