The Gift of Focus: Several weeks ago I ordered a gadget online for my cats. It looks like a metal mouse and emits a laser beam when you press a button on top. This laser beam puts a small red dot on the wall, ceiling, or floor- wherever you point it. Supposedly, it drives cats crazy and they will chase it all day long. My order arrived a few days ago, and I was so excited to try it out- knowing the cats would love it. The big surprise came when my 8 lb Shih Tzu immediately pounced on the dot following it anywhere it went. For several days now, my husband and I (along with a few neighbors) have taken turns pushing the button and allowing the 'red dot' to mystify the dog. She is obsessed. When the red dot goes away, she cries. When it appears, she puts her nose to the ground and plows through the carpet in a desperate pursuit. Nothing else matters. The red dot is the single most important thing in her world. The cats? They haven't gotten near the red dot...they are too afraid to get in the dog's way.
From now on, when I am working on an important project, I will subscribe to the 'red dot' theory. I now know it is possible to focus that intently on the task at hand.
The Gift of Timing: For about a month now, my new friend Bob Souer has been writing about a conference taking place in Las Vegas at the end of March called 'VOICE'. It sounds like fun, and an amazing learning (and networking!) experience. After Stephanie at Voices.com wrote that she would be there, I began to wonder if this was something I could bear to miss out on. The only problem was justifying the money it will cost to attend (fees, travel, lodging, etc). I resigned from my job in September, and my outgoing cash flow has been much higher that my incoming cash flow (as it is with all new businesses). Of course, I understand the enormous value of learning more about my chosen craft, but if the money 'ain't there- it ain't there'!
This morning I received a call from my mother. It seems she will be in Vegas at the exact same time attending a conference for her work. The kicker? Her hotel and conference are 2.3 miles from the VOICE conference. I can stay with her. The second kicker? She has plenty of frequent flier miles and can fly me in.
From now one, I will remember that if something is meant to be- there is always a way. I will remember that there are many things more important than income. Family, friends, and having a job I love (and plan to learn more about) will remain my main focus. I will let the 'chips fall where they may' and trust in a Higher Power to get me where I need to go.
The Gift of Time: This last Thanksgiving we joined many of our closest friends in Charlotte for a feast. We decided to go around the table and each of us say what we were most thankful for. I remember the odd looks I received when I replied simply that I was thankful for the gift of time. I my opinion, 'time' is the most wonderful thing in the world. Time with my family, my friends, time to grow things, to make things, to breathe, to Worship, the time to just exist.
A friend of ours has been in the fight of her life, for her life, for a very long time now. The news has not been good, it has not been fair.
For her, I will be thankful for my gift of time, and I will pray her time will be infinite. I will focus on living to the best of my ability and not wasting a single moment. I will remember that I can't fix or control everything, and life still works out as it should.
When I need it...my 'red dot' will be our friend. She will always remind me to focus on living.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
A Perfect Moment
It has been my observation over the last 29 years and 11 months that much of our lives are made up of perfect moments. This evening, I was watching a terrible TV show in which a man was trying to find the perfect moment to propose to his girlfriend. The moment never presented itself, so he set a deadline by which it had to be done. I missed the ending, but I'm going to assume it ended badly. Why? In my opinion, deadlines most often are hindrances. I'm not referring to work deadlines or doctor appointment deadlines...I'm talking about the deadlines we put on ourselves. The deadlines we believe will encourage us to move forward in life, but often just leave us feeling let down. Had he waited for the perfect moment to happen naturally...well, I missed the ending, but I can imagine.
I set a deadline recently. It was a deadline in my career. After 11 years co-hosting a radio show I decided to give it one more year before moving on to a new adventure. I made this decision sometime around August 2006. On September 7th, while sitting in 'yet another' meeting with my boss, I resigned. It was not in my plan, but the words were out of my mouth before I knew what had happened.
My friends and my family all told me to expect a major depression. Losing a career can be like loosing a friend, it hurts! Outside of a few days of schedule adjustment, the depression never came. Which caused me to wonder if I was out of my mind! Maybe I should have waited for that deadline, kept the steady paycheck and stability. Recently, however, I received a rare glimpse inside my soul. I was asked to be a guest on a local radio show. They wanted to discuss voice acting and much more. It went relatively well, and I enjoyed it.
I didn't love it.
I didn't miss it.
Wow. In a spur-of-the-moment decision racked with madness on a random September day, I changed my life. It was the right choice! I followed the tiny voice in my head that screamed, 'NOW'!
In one month I will turn 30. 30! Earlier in my life I had set a deadline that by 30 I would be married and with children. I am married, but I don't have any children and am not expecting any in the next 9 months (or for several months thereafter)! For many women I know, this would cause a major sense of failure. Now, I am not wise by any means, but I know that this does not mean I have failed. I am waiting for that perfect moment, the one where a voice in my head (and my husband's head) says, 'Now'! Until that time, I will not feel like I am in any rush. There is no deadline.
A perfect moment is not created, it happens all on it's own. If we spend our time setting deadlines as to when things should happen by- we might miss one of those moments. I felt that I should set a deadline when I began working for myself. One year. If, in one year, I was not successful I would get a 'real' job. But what is success? I once ignored a deadline and I successfully found my passion in life.
I found my perfect moment and I won't be waiting for the next one. I will live in this one.
I set a deadline recently. It was a deadline in my career. After 11 years co-hosting a radio show I decided to give it one more year before moving on to a new adventure. I made this decision sometime around August 2006. On September 7th, while sitting in 'yet another' meeting with my boss, I resigned. It was not in my plan, but the words were out of my mouth before I knew what had happened.
My friends and my family all told me to expect a major depression. Losing a career can be like loosing a friend, it hurts! Outside of a few days of schedule adjustment, the depression never came. Which caused me to wonder if I was out of my mind! Maybe I should have waited for that deadline, kept the steady paycheck and stability. Recently, however, I received a rare glimpse inside my soul. I was asked to be a guest on a local radio show. They wanted to discuss voice acting and much more. It went relatively well, and I enjoyed it.
I didn't love it.
I didn't miss it.
Wow. In a spur-of-the-moment decision racked with madness on a random September day, I changed my life. It was the right choice! I followed the tiny voice in my head that screamed, 'NOW'!
In one month I will turn 30. 30! Earlier in my life I had set a deadline that by 30 I would be married and with children. I am married, but I don't have any children and am not expecting any in the next 9 months (or for several months thereafter)! For many women I know, this would cause a major sense of failure. Now, I am not wise by any means, but I know that this does not mean I have failed. I am waiting for that perfect moment, the one where a voice in my head (and my husband's head) says, 'Now'! Until that time, I will not feel like I am in any rush. There is no deadline.
A perfect moment is not created, it happens all on it's own. If we spend our time setting deadlines as to when things should happen by- we might miss one of those moments. I felt that I should set a deadline when I began working for myself. One year. If, in one year, I was not successful I would get a 'real' job. But what is success? I once ignored a deadline and I successfully found my passion in life.
I found my perfect moment and I won't be waiting for the next one. I will live in this one.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
How multifaceted is too 'many'faceted?
In a recent interview I did online, I was asked 'what I would want the world to know about me that they might not already'. I answered simply, that I am a multifaceted woman. I am a voice actor, a television spokesperson, a writer, a producer, a gardener, a scrapbooker, a painter, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a wife. I pray often. I fall down a lot. I am a terrible speller. I record voice overs from home, and I travel half-way across the country to bring characters to life. I am also an amateur photographer. I sell stock photos online. I am dramatic...just ask my husband :-)
However, today I had an idea...and I believe it's a good one. It involves some writing that I do in my spare time. You see, I am cursed with an over-active imagination. Things sometimes come to me at odd moments, and it can be very frustrating to those closest to me. My husband often tells me 'I don't get it, but it sounds cool I guess'. I don't always 'get it' either, but I always feel in my heart I have to 'do it' (whatever 'it' is). The problem is, sometimes being multifaceted isn't always a blessing, and it's hard to know where to draw the line.
Many a morning a find myself sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end 'working'. With so many things on my plate, I'm not sure 'working' is always synonymous with 'accomplishing'-and there-in lies my dilemma.
I want to be a writer. I want to be a photographer. I want to be an artist. I am a voice actor. (a job I adore)
I want to create all new demos, and I have the ideas on how I want them to sound. I want to finish painting the wine glasses I plan to give a friend as a gift. I want to be outside taking pictures. I want to scrapbook my wedding photos. As of today, I really want to write that book I just dreamed up.
The question is, 'how'? I see so many talented people in the world, men and women doing the exact job I do- and they seem to have it all together. I'm assuming they've been given some Divine advice I missed out on. Maybe I was 'working' when those wise words were handed down. Many of these people have children as well, which REALLY alludes me as to how it is all done. And before you say it, they also spend their time blogging :-)
It leaves me wondering, is it possible to be too multifaceted? Would narrowing down my 'work related desires' make me great at one job, instead of 'good' at many? Or is that what life is all about-being all that you can be- and still finding time to just be?
However, today I had an idea...and I believe it's a good one. It involves some writing that I do in my spare time. You see, I am cursed with an over-active imagination. Things sometimes come to me at odd moments, and it can be very frustrating to those closest to me. My husband often tells me 'I don't get it, but it sounds cool I guess'. I don't always 'get it' either, but I always feel in my heart I have to 'do it' (whatever 'it' is). The problem is, sometimes being multifaceted isn't always a blessing, and it's hard to know where to draw the line.
Many a morning a find myself sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end 'working'. With so many things on my plate, I'm not sure 'working' is always synonymous with 'accomplishing'-and there-in lies my dilemma.
I want to be a writer. I want to be a photographer. I want to be an artist. I am a voice actor. (a job I adore)
I want to create all new demos, and I have the ideas on how I want them to sound. I want to finish painting the wine glasses I plan to give a friend as a gift. I want to be outside taking pictures. I want to scrapbook my wedding photos. As of today, I really want to write that book I just dreamed up.
The question is, 'how'? I see so many talented people in the world, men and women doing the exact job I do- and they seem to have it all together. I'm assuming they've been given some Divine advice I missed out on. Maybe I was 'working' when those wise words were handed down. Many of these people have children as well, which REALLY alludes me as to how it is all done. And before you say it, they also spend their time blogging :-)
It leaves me wondering, is it possible to be too multifaceted? Would narrowing down my 'work related desires' make me great at one job, instead of 'good' at many? Or is that what life is all about-being all that you can be- and still finding time to just be?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
21 minutes, 15 seconds
As I sit here watching the clock run down on the vintage Wahoo board game I'm hoping to spend entirely too much money for on e-bay, the most amazing e-mail came through to me. It is from a lady named Joni B. Cole. It seems Joni has a series of books she has published called 'This Day in the Life: Diaries of Women Across America'. I've looked at her website, and plan to purchase these books, as they truly seem fantastic! It is real-life diaries of a random group of women all written on the same day. Fascinating!
By now you are wondering, why would Joni be e-mailing little old me? Well, Joni has asked me to be one of the women to write a diary in her next book, 'This Day in the Life of Working Women'. While I am 'pick-my-jaw-up-off-the-floor' flattered, there are hundreds of women being asked, and only 30 will be chosen. Still, pretty exciting huh?
Today is January 11th, only 11 days into the new year. Yet, I can tell this is going to be one interesting year! New Year's day, I received a phone call I had waited a year to get. I have been selected for one of the lead roles in the US version of "Raggs" TV series which is a new hit show in Australia on Network 7. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be a part of something so truly terrific. I just know in my heart it will be a huge hit with kids and parents too!
In addition, I received a call from a producer friend of mine this week. After a successful run of commercials last year, KBhomes has asked me to voice/produce another set for this year! Followed by a dramatic death scene in a couple of weeks on the new anime I've been recording in Texas, this is shaping up to be a great January!
4 minutes, 28 seconds left
Wow. I write really slow.
I guess this all brings me back to the same conclusion, doing a job you love may not always be profitable or always exciting...but it is always wonderful to wake up in the morning, isn't it?
One day this March, I will record everything I do in a single day. Will I sit and stare at a computer screen, hoping for employment? Will I be in a recording studio voicing one of the greatest television characters of all time? I'm not sure. My only wish is: I hope I'm as happy on that day as I am in this very moment. I hope my family is healthy, and my dog has finally stopped using the kitchen floor as a bathroom. I hope I have something wise to say.
HOLY MACKEREL!
I just bought myself a Wahoo board for WAY too much money!!!!
What a great day!
FYI: Make sure to check out Joni's website at www.thisdayinthelife.com
Women supporting women- can there be anything better than that?!
By now you are wondering, why would Joni be e-mailing little old me? Well, Joni has asked me to be one of the women to write a diary in her next book, 'This Day in the Life of Working Women'. While I am 'pick-my-jaw-up-off-the-floor' flattered, there are hundreds of women being asked, and only 30 will be chosen. Still, pretty exciting huh?
Today is January 11th, only 11 days into the new year. Yet, I can tell this is going to be one interesting year! New Year's day, I received a phone call I had waited a year to get. I have been selected for one of the lead roles in the US version of "Raggs" TV series which is a new hit show in Australia on Network 7. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be a part of something so truly terrific. I just know in my heart it will be a huge hit with kids and parents too!
In addition, I received a call from a producer friend of mine this week. After a successful run of commercials last year, KBhomes has asked me to voice/produce another set for this year! Followed by a dramatic death scene in a couple of weeks on the new anime I've been recording in Texas, this is shaping up to be a great January!
4 minutes, 28 seconds left
Wow. I write really slow.
I guess this all brings me back to the same conclusion, doing a job you love may not always be profitable or always exciting...but it is always wonderful to wake up in the morning, isn't it?
One day this March, I will record everything I do in a single day. Will I sit and stare at a computer screen, hoping for employment? Will I be in a recording studio voicing one of the greatest television characters of all time? I'm not sure. My only wish is: I hope I'm as happy on that day as I am in this very moment. I hope my family is healthy, and my dog has finally stopped using the kitchen floor as a bathroom. I hope I have something wise to say.
HOLY MACKEREL!
I just bought myself a Wahoo board for WAY too much money!!!!
What a great day!
FYI: Make sure to check out Joni's website at www.thisdayinthelife.com
Women supporting women- can there be anything better than that?!
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