A student of success

Stu Gray has tagged me, asking for some insights into success. Specifically he’s asked the following questions.

1. What habits have enabled you to become successful?

First, persistence. No one wins if they quit. Second, not being afraid to ask questions. While I was offering a small bit of advice to a friend the other day I started thinking about how I learned how to edit audio in a digital workstation. The single biggest answer is that I plunged in back when digital editing was new, but second to it is that I’ve asked a lot of questions of people who know more than I do.

2. What habits have blocked you from success?

The single biggest block to greater success, at least for me, is fear. I’m learning to turn my fear on its head and to use it as a motivator to move forward, but it’s not easy.

3. What advice would you give a young VO professional?

Read out loud every day. Record yourself as often as possible. Listen to what you’ve recorded. Compare the results to the kind of work you hear coming from the television. Even more importantly, study with a reputable coach. Don’t rush. Treat the voiceover business like the business it is. Recognize that the vast majority to people trying to make a living at voiceover not only fail, but never make any significant amount of money at it.

4. Whats the best book(s) you have read to help you become successful at what you do?

With all due respect to my several friends who have written books on voiceover, I don’t think this is something you can learn from a book. The books that have most influenced my voiceover work were The Bible, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Little Prince and the three Wizard of Ads books by Roy H. Williams.