Tag: Procrastination

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One Common Trait Among Nearly All Entrepreneurs

The more I read about some of the most famous entrepreneurs of our generation and of days gone by, and the more I reflect on my own life and business and personality, the more I’ve confirmed one common trait among nearly all entrepreneurs.

* When I needed a website for my voice over business, I didn’t know how to do it or what to use.

* When I needed to create a mailing list solution, I didn’t know how to set one up or work it.

* When I needed to find a CRM system to manage my database, I didn’t know where to begin.

* When I needed to start direct marketing my voice over services, I didn’t know jack squat about how to market.

* When I needed to do advanced editing for my audio files, I was lost in Adobe Audition.

Every time I was faced with a challenge that had to be overcome in order for me to move forward, I figured it out.

ikea instructions

One Common Trait Among Nearly All Entrepreneurs

What’s the trait?

Entrepreneurs figure it out!

The vast majority of this stuff isn’t tough in school.  There’s no college course or university degree. Heck I didn’t even go to college!

When an entrepreneur needs to do something, they dive in head first and figure it out.

Entrepreneurs don’t make excuses. They figure it out! Click to Tweet

What’s Holding You Back

We love to say, “I don’t know how,” and then use that as an excuse. I don’t need to tell you there’s a difference between excuses and reasons. Excuses are generally what we use when we’re operating from a place of fear or laziness. There’s no good reason to let an excuse stand in your way.

What aspect of your voice over business are you making up excuses for?

What’s an area you need to grow?

What’s a task you’ve been putting off?

What do you need to get started on?

  • Read a blog
  • Buy a book
  • Watch a video
  • Find a mentor
  • Ask a question
  • Hire a coach
  • Take a course

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, it’s time to figure it out!

Thanks for sharing this post from Marc Scott's Voice Over Blog.

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Why You Need To Get Started Today

I just finished watching a new episode of Chef Robert Irvine’s show Restaurant Impossible on Food Network. The show has inspired a couple blogs in the past. Today, it has inspired yet another.

In this particular episode, titled “Whabah Steakhouse” Robert and his crew take on their biggest challenge yet. A restaurant with a 4,000 square-foot dining room, which happens to be roughly four times larger than their usual projects.

That’s not a daunting task at all, is it?! Especially with only two days to revitalize the establishment and relaunch it to the public!

Complacency

whabah-restaurant-impossibleOne of the biggest problems in the restaurant was filth. Over time the cleaning regimen had been let go. Staff slacked on their duties. Leadership was seemingly non existent. Laziness took over. The result of this perfect storm of complacency was an overwhelming mess.

No one even knew where to begin. So they didn’t.

The entire first day for the staff and Restaurant Impossible crew was just spent cleaning.

As I watched the story unfold, it got me to thinking about certain aspects of my voice over business and the enemy of procrastination.

The Enemy Of Procrastination

If the Whabah staff had cleaned up every day after every shift they would’ve never found themselves facing the formidable task of cleaning a 4,000 square-foot restaurant from top to bottom all in one shot. For what it’s worth, the video shown of the condition of the dining room would’ve turned your stomach. It was no small task!

What are you procrastinating on in your voice over business? What is that project (or projects) you’ve been putting off?

Procrastination is one of the biggest enemies standing between you and your dreams. Click to Tweet

Why You Need To Get Started Today

one-stepLike cleaning years worth of dirt, filth and grime from a 4,000 square-foot dining room; the longer you put off your task, the larger it grows, the more overwhelming it becomes. Eventually, you’ll be just like the Whabah staff. You won’t even know where to begin.

Begin today. With even a single step.

Break that task down into smaller bite-sized chunks. A few minutes here, an hour or two there. Before long, you’ll notice progress and that progress will give you hope. It will re-invogorate you. Goliath will fall.

Is it your bookwork? Your marketing? Your website? A new demo? Whatever it is you’ve been putting off, today is the day to get started.

You can do it!

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Thinking Without Acting

It occurred to recently, shortly after someone pointed it out to me, that I seem to tweet a lot in the middle of the night about thinking, when I should be sleeping.

It’s true.

I definitely tend to do a lot of thinking when I should be sleeping. Tweeting too.

Not on purpose, necessarily. It seems to just work out this way. I’d assume it has something to do with the fact that, at night, when my head hits the pillow, it’s the only time during the day when my brain is quiet enough to think.

If that makes sense.

take-the-first-stepI keep my iPad and iPhone next to me. Both equipped with Evernote. My Evernote app is filled with ideas. Hundreds of ideas. Most of them, thoughts I’ve thought at night. When I should be sleeping.

Here’s the thing about all those thoughts. Those ideas. Those brainstorms. They won’t amount to anything of value if they never make it beyond a few lines jotted down in Evernote at 3am.

Somewhere along the way those thoughts need to be expanded.

An implementation plan needs to be mapped out.

Thoughts need to become action.

If you want to succeed, you’ve got to act. Click to Tweet

Let me ask you, what great ideas for your voice over business have you got floating around in your brain or written down in your notepad? How long have they been there? How much longer will they remain there?

Maybe it’s time to turn thought in action.

And action, into success.

Here’s your challenge today. Take one of your ideas and make the first step. Then see what happens next.

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The Truth About What’s Good For You

Here’s the thing about my treadmill. I hate it. Literally. More than any other device or “thing” in my apartment, I just really hate my treadmill a lot.

Some days, I roll over in the morning in the bed and see my treadmill. The sun peaking through the blinds, casting a glow on my treadmill. It annoys me. I roll over and go back to sleep. Or try.

My treadmill. Ugh.

Doing What I Hate

hate-the-treadmillAt least three days a week there is a one hour time block on my calendar. “Treadmill.”

I dread those time blocks more than any other.

Why in the world would I want to get on my treadmill when I can be laying on the couch watching TV? Or sitting in my recliner reading a good book? Or recording a voice over for a client?

My treadmill can’t bring me the joy the aforementioned activities can.

Nor is it as comfortable!

Yet, for reasons I’m not fully able to explain on account of they seem to defy conventional logic, each time the alarm goes off on my calendar for “Treadmill,” I drag my protesting butt to my treadmill.

And I run.

Why I Actually Love It

Here’s the thing about my treadmill. I love it. Literally. Perhaps more than any other device or “thing” in my apartment. I just really love my treadmill a lot.

Huh?

As much as I hate my treadmill, as much as I protest running on my treadmill, as much as I’d rather give that time to my couch, something happens every time I get on my treadmill.

I start to feel good.

By the time my run is complete, I feel awesome.

Fresh. Energized. Renewed.

Finishing a run always makes me feel awesome. Really awesome.

What About Your Voice Over Business Do You Hate?

head-in-the-sandWhat is it about your voice over business that you really hate?

Is it auditioning?

Cold calling? (or emailing)

Updating your website?

Invoicing and accounting?

What are the things you dread? The things you procrastinate on? The things you protest?

What If You Loved It Instead?

What about when that audition leads to the job? Still hate it?

What about when that cold call leads to a new client? Still hate it?

What about when that website update generates a new lead? Still hate it?

What about when catching up on the books puts money in the bank? Still hate it?

We’ve all got those aspects of the business that we don’t enjoy. The thing is, like my treadmill, as much as I may hate it, I love it too, because I know something good will happen when I get my butt on it and run. (apologies for the visual)

Therein lies the lesson.

Stop looking at the trouble. Problem. Pain. Look beyond it. To the solution. The result. The gain!

That’s where the love is.

For Comment: What do you hate and love at the same time?

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