“Mom, it’s happening again!” my daughter shouted from the back seat of our 17-year-old Chrysler minivan. She was holding up the fabric of the roof of our vehicle, which had begun to lose its adhesiveness a few weeks prior.
I handed her a thumbtack to keep the fabric up as I drove my well-worn, child-toting minivan to her soccer practice.
I was trying to be grateful for what I had. I really was. But it wasn’t just the minivan’s roof that had problems. The driver’s window wouldn’t roll down. One of the side doors didn’t open automatically anymore. The wiring to the rear tail light was fried. There was a huge crack through our windshield. And finally, the air conditioning went out – right before the heat of summer. We were quite the site to behold driving around town!
I knew what I wanted: a Volkswagen Atlas. The kind with captain seats, enough space for all the sports equipment, and a ceiling that stayed up by itself. I had never driven one, and I didn’t know anyone who had one. In fact, I couldn’t remember seeing them very much in my city. When we finally said goodbye to our faithful minivan and were test-driving SUVs, I saw Atlases EVERYWHERE. Where had they all come from?
The truth is that those Volkswagens had always been there, driving around my city. I just didn’t have eyes to see them. I wasn’t looking for them.
You see, you will find what you’re looking for.
No matter how many challenges we face as entrepreneurs in the voice-over industry, I am convinced that there is always more goodness than hardship. We just need eyes to see it.
The best way I’ve found to develop a growth mindset and my ability to see the goodness in my life is through practicing gratitude.
Now, before you roll your eyes and try to close out of this article, hear me out.
Practicing gratitude is just like any other discipline. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Your ability to find goodness quickens. It becomes your default thinking rather than something you have to consciously choose. Your powerful mind will do what you train it to do: focus on the positive.
Not quite a Volkswagen Atlas.
Gratitude is the mother of positivity. Gratitude gives birth to a whole new mindset. And a positive mindset in this industry really matters! It changes our perspective and our outcomes.
You’ve probably had one of these days as a voice-over artist: You overthink auditions, struggle with tech, fear direct marketing, and compare yourself to every other voice talent on your social media feed.
But what if your default mindset was different? What if you practiced gratitude for the number of auditions you receive, your ability to learn hard things, the opportunity to share your services with the world, and the unique value you hold in this industry?
Just like me and my Volkswagen, you will find what you’re looking for. I couldn’t see all of them in my town because I was focused on the many problems of my current Chrysler minivan. If you want to find problems in your career and life, I promise you will find them. But if you want to find and focus on the good things in your life and career, try these simple habits:
1. Get a Gratitude Jar. Place this jar on your desk or in your booth. Write down one thing every day that you’re grateful for, and put it in your jar. Maybe you got a positive response from direct marketing, you nailed an audition, your coach gave you great feedback, or you booked a job. Maybe your friend sent you a kind text, your favorite shoes were on sale, or your kid connected with you in a special way.
When you’re having a hard day, pull out a few of these and remind yourself that there is so much good in your life.
At the end of the year, re-read each slip of paper, and see how very wonderful your life has been!
2. Take a walk, and identify three things that you love about the present moment. The birds, the solitude, the sunshine – whatever gets your attention.
3. Find another voice-over artist and commit to texting each other one positive thing that happened in your week.
These regular practices will help transform your thinking, which will transform your acting abilities, your business, and your life. When you focus on the good, it changes your perspective, motivation, and energy. If you want a more positive mindset, start with gratitude.
There is so much goodness already happening in your life. Can you see it?
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