By definition:

Noun. the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful:

I just found an intriguing description of gratitude in Wikipedia. Gratitude can be viewed as emotion, and as a motivator of behavior, suggests that people who are more grateful have higher levels of well-being. “Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships.   Grateful people also have higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life, and self acceptance.”

At the website, Abundance- and- happiness.com,  an article on the topic of gratitude  states how sincere gratefulness works from a strictly scientific perspective, and “everything within our universe broken down into it’s purest form is a vibrating mass of atoms and subatomic particles. (Energy) Through the Law of Attraction , the energy (vibrations) that you resonate and project based on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions determines your “vibrational frequency” which broadcasts that frequency, attracts to it energy or vibrational frequencies that harmonize or resonate with it which determines the events, situations, and circumstances that you attract and eventually see manifest into your life.”

I agree. I find I am gravitated to people who seem to have what I call, “positive vibes”.

And I do believe that the human mind follows in the directions of its thoughts, which is in an incredibly empowering truth, and which has everything to do with gratitude.

Now, some may wonder, what in the heck does this have to do with voiceover work? In my opinion, absolutely everything!

Do you have a desired outcome in mind when you create your business, strategic or marketing plan for your voiceover business? If so, be grateful for your vision and belief in your abilities.

Have any blessings to be counted today? A loving family? How about a great audition? Are you healthy?  A good meal? A gorgeous sunset….you get the idea.

Are there any obstacles in your career path you can view in a new light? How about ways you can optimize your business by procuring some voiceover coaching that will keep you current with new trends. By following through with the direction of your thoughts, you’ll be happy that you’re reinventing your value proposition to the marketplace by doing so.

Perhaps you can begin a routine of journaling what you are thankful for, or posting affirmative quotes or words in your workspace or in the studio. I have all sorts of self-talk messages posted around my office and in my studio.

Try a weekly assessment of your “gratitude attitude”. Don’t forget to thank your clients!

And don’t expect too much too soon. Slow and steady wins the race, so don’t give up. And don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Be thankful for the one and only you there is on the planet!

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”- Cicero

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

by Bobbin Beam, Voice Actress  Nov. 2009