The Importance of a Support System

I grew up in a family where my mother wouldn't accept any career unless I had the title of "Reverend" in front of it. She passed away two years ago and while I miss her dearly, I'm still not sure she knew what I did for a living. I had explained it repeatedly and she never seemed too interested. She never told me she was proud of me and was disappointed that I didn't go into the ministry. It was a challenging way to grow up, not feeling much support from my family. It created lots of fear and doubt. Sometimes I still feel insecure about my decisions, even though I have been doing voiceovers now for over 30 years.

When trying to accomplish your objectives and goals, stay away from cynical glass-half-empty folks who will only bring you down. Typically, when people discourage you, they are wrestling with demons of their own. For example, when I took a leap of faith and started my own voiceover business, I heard from plenty of people who weren't shy about throwing mythical information in my lap. "You have to move to Los Angeles! It's too competitive! You're wasting your time!" While these people may have been trying to support me in their own way - it wasn't very encouraging.

I chose to focus on the people who would say, "You are talented and should go for it!" Every business is competitive and that should never stop you from following your passion. With social media, it's tough because we're connected with so many people who pretend to know everything about SO MANY things they don't know anything about. Surround yourself with encouraging people; otherwise, you're going to hear those glass-half-empty voices in your head all day long!

So many people give up too quickly due to FEAR. We all get stuck in the spin, forgetting to grab hold of what we want and allowing others to steer our life. Sometimes, the only person who is in the way is yourself. Take a minute and imagine what you could do if you got out of your way. Suppose fear wasn’t stopping you.

When my mother passed away, I wanted to believe she was proud of me. Sometimes I just needed to hear it. Sometimes I wonder how many talented voices out there have missed out on opportunities because their wife, husband or family didn't support them. Kudos to all of you who have support from your spouses and family. My wife has been the greatest supporter of my career for the last decade. It has made an enormous difference.