Voice Talent Action Plan: New Years Resolutions Resolved

Oh boy. Here we go again. So soon? Didn’t we just do this? Why do so many in the voice talent community (and much of humanity) go through this annual ritual of posting or committing to New Years Resolutions and subsequently falling short?

OK. So we get all fired up and plan audacious goals that are too hard or not realistic and get completely thrown out by the end of March or so. We’re all human. And that means we’re creatures of habit.  Old habits die hard!

So this is why I don’t do “Resolutions” the old way any more. But what I now do is something a little different what works for me. Everyone is different but we all share in the habit loop to greater and lesser degrees. It’s all about being conscious of habits that need to change. And you can’t overwhelm yourself with becoming a complete and totally new “you” overnight. Change takes slow, incremental, repeated, and deliberate steps.

Fine Tuning and Reviewing

One of my mentors suggests reviewing what has been accomplished and done in the past year. So we don’t forget the production people, the voice over projects recorded, the voiceover training we’ve invested in, the meetings we’ve attended, the traveling, vacations, seminars and webinars, etc.

• Look at the photos you’ve taken this year
• Review your calendar from this year to get a feel for the rhythm of your life
• Look at various files stored on your computer or Google docs. Look at what’s been created. In my case I’ll be revisiting all the voice-over scripts sent to me that I store in a folder on my desktop.
• Look at a listing of all the books you’ve read; either kindle , hard or soft-cover books or audiobooks listened to.
• Listen back to any voiceover auditions that you booked (yes, keep those in a folder) This is especially enlightening because you’ll notice a pattern of the types of voice-over jobs and product brands that best suit your voice and delivery style right now.
• Look at your business credit card statements to know where your hard-earned resources have been spent.
• Review any journals, blog posts you’ve posted this year.

Moving Forward

All that reviewing can offer a sense of wisdom and experience you’ve earned. What you’ve learned. And ultimately, how you have evolved. The review reminds us of the things we can feel good about and all things accomplished. Therefore, the idea is to start the year off by setting goals from a place of abundance and accomplishment, and not a position of “lack” guilt or failure.

So Stick to the Plan

A suggestion… As you plan your New Years resolutions, list three levels of your goal. A, B and C. Dream BIG on A. Stayreal on B and C, And finally, celebrate milestones! Even the small ones.