First we dream, then we do. One without the other is lesser.
After several months, Coach seemed to tweak my training sessions. We still spent the bulk of our time on my practice recordings and her critiques, but each hour now included a discussion about what it would take for me to compete and succeed at my new dream to be a Voice Over Actor.
Coach talked about the changes in the business brought about by technology; how the internet opened up VO work to anyone with a microphone and a personal computer. It was no longer the exclusive domain of agents and their actor, broadcaster, and voice over clients. A new marketplace was growing, and voice seekers looking for VO talent were increasingly posting jobs on voice over internet sites, inviting auditions. You didn’t have to wait for the phone to ring. You could help yourself.
Coach used the experiences of others to make her points, and the consistent theme throughout was self-motivation. Those who failed depended solely on others for their voice over work, and those who succeeded made it happen largely by their own initiative. “The winners hustle” Coach said.
It was hard to miss her message. My voice over experience would be decided by my own actions or inertia, and my desire to succeed would drive my behavior. Reminded me of a famous baseball player.
Pete Rose was part of the Cincinnati Reds Big Red Machine. His dream was to be a great ball player. Rose ran out every ground ball. He dove for line drives. He attacked home plate shoulder first. Pete Rose was a self-motivated player. Whether his team was winning or losing, he played hard every game, and got his uniform dirty. They called him “Charlie Hustle.”
Desire, full of promise, looks you square in the eye and asks, “How bad do you want it? What are you willing to sacrifice to get it? How hard are you willing to work?” All questions we confront in our lives whenever there is some challenge between us and a significant goal.
We will get help along the way, of course. Most of us stand ready to help each other fulfill our dreams. It feels good to help others succeed. It is hard-wired into us.
But truth is, if our dreams are achieveable, it is mostly up to us to do the achieveing, assisted or not. Great success in life may be the result of a team effort, but we still have to play our position.
In my VO Dream, the crowd is rooting for me, helping me along. Tommy Hustle is playing hard, and his uniform is dirty.
Dreaming done, the rest is up to me.
Tags: Big Red Machine, Charlie Hustle, Pete Rose, Self-motivation, voice over, voice over actor
