In order to know where you’re going, it’s essential to know where you are and where you came from.
As predicted, 2011 is history.
Because we’re always so focused on the future, we rarely take the time to look back and appreciate what we’ve accomplished. Yet, in this first week of the new year, people like to take stock of their lives as they welcome a new beginning.
Had I not done that, I would have missed the fact that this is my hundred and first contribution since I started writing this blog. My stats reveal that -on average- every article was read 965 times.
Numbers, however, are cold and cannot express how deeply grateful I am that week after week you have taken a few moments out of your day to walk through this Double Dutch door.
Yes, it’s flattering to have made this year’s list of Most Influential VO-Bloggers, but I didn’t make it happen all by myself.
You did.
You are the soundboard that resonates when I strike a chord.
Without you, my words would dissipate as swiftly as a New Year’s resolution on January 2nd. Without your comments (almost 1,700 so far), emails and other conversations, I would be talking to myself (and believe me, I do too much of that already).
Since this is the official blog of Nethervoice, I’d like to indulge myself and use this last post of 2011 to revisit some of this year’s milestone moments in the history of… me.
Here are a few things I am proud of and thankful for:
1. In 2011 I landed four new agents on three continents
2. I designed and built a soundproof voice-over studio in my basement
3. Moving to a Mac, I upgraded practically all my hard- and software
4. At Faffcon 3 I had the opportunity to share my blogging secrets
5. I published two eBooks: “Building a Vocal Booth on a Budget” and “Boosting your Business with a Blog“
6. My eighth audio book just went on sale. It’s called “Brains on Fire” and (appropriately) it’s about word of mouth marketing
MY YEAR IN QUOTES
If you don’t mind, I’d love to end this year by looking back at 2011 as we flip through the pages of past posts. What’s worth remembering and what shall we put into the recycle bin? To refresh your memory, here are some of my favorite quotes:
“It’s so easy to speak in generalizations and pretend we understand one another. When we do, we usually don’t.”
from: “Taken for a Ride“
“I strive to inform, I attempt to entertain and yes… I also like to rock the boat every once in a while. As a voiceover professional, it is my job to be outspoken.”
from: “Hanging Up My Hat“
“Most people find it easier to sum up what they don’t want. Take it from me: You’ll never get anywhere by focusing on the things you wish to avoid. In fact, you’re more likely to attract the very things you’re running away from.”
from: “Are You a Winner or a Whiner“
“If you never stick your neck out, you won’t get hurt, but you won’t rise above the rest either.”
from: “Finding your Value as a Voice-Over“
“The voice-over future is filled with gloom and doom. When people tell you less is more, they’re usually referring to your rate and not to your interpretation of the script. ”
“If you want to make lots of money, you have two options: you either apply for a job at the U.S. Mint, or you start an online voice casting business.”
from: “Pimping Your Pipes”
“How long does it take to find a quality needle in a huge haystack made of scrap metal?”
from: “Why Pay to Plays will Implode“
“Is Ted Williams honing his Kraft or is he still recovering from rehab?”
from: “Pimping Your Pipes”
“Every year, tens of thousands of self-employed people file for bankruptcy because they made one big mistake: they followed a dream and forgot to run the numbers. They are what I like to call ‘under-estimators’.”
“Your fee structure will help you attract the kind of customers you want to be working for, and the type of jobs you are shooting for. At the same time it will weed out the folks that cannot or will not afford you; the ones that are most likely to give you a hard time anyway.”
from: “The Power of Pricing“
“Just because a client needs you, doesn’t mean they can afford you, or that you can afford to work for them.”
from: “The Lowdown on Lowballing“
“Stop making excuses for those who don’t respect you enough to pay you a decent fee. Unless you’ve seen their balance sheet, you don’t know what they can or cannot afford. Know your bottom line. Add value. Don’t compromise so easily. Negotiate. Dare to say NO to a bad deal. Study the art of making the sale. It’s part of being a pro.”
“The key is adding value. If you don’t offer exceptional value, then your product or service becomes just another commodity. People buy commodities on price. If you’re just another web designer, voice-over artist or a car dealership, you’re in trouble. Value means offering more for a higher price.”
“Those who can’t build value, have nothing left but to compete on price.”
“Being extraordinary talented in what you do, doesn’t guarantee instant success. Life might have dealt you a pretty good hand, but if you don’t know how to play the game, even the best cards are useless. “
from: “Those Bloody Bottom Feeders“
“You can set the stage, learn your lines and lessons and strive to be the best you can be. But you can’t force feed your target markets, especially if you don’t know what they’re hungry for.”
“Stop pushing and start listening. Don’t offer a solution before you know what the problem is.”
“If self-control were that easy, very few people would smoke; all of us would maintain the perfect weight and prisons would be empty.”
from: “Can You Control Your Career“
“We are free people, living in a free country who earned the right to free themselves of any free time.”
“You’re self-employed. You embody your service. Literally. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. If you don’t guard your boundaries carefully, good people with the best of intentions will step on them and leave you depleted.”
from: “Give Me a Break“
“Bad habits are very effective strategies for consistently getting undesired results.”
from: “Your Biggest Blind Spot“
“If you happen to hire voices, I have a message for you: We can read your script but we can’t read your mind.”
from: “What the heck is Neutral English?“
“I go online for information and communication; not for salvation. For me, conversion rate is about turning visitors into customers. Let’s not trivialize the sacred scriptures and turn the internet into a stairway to heaven.”
from: “8 Things I Hate About You“
“I’ve come to the conclusion that VO-Pros and cows have one thing in common: they are ruminants. Most ruminants have four stomachs. The first stomach chamber (the “rumen”) is the chamber in which large amounts of food are stored and softened. Once it is processed, it is regurgitated and chewed and digested again in different chambers. At the end there’s only one thing left: bullsh*t.”
from: “Why you a boring me to death“
“Shit happens. You just have to make sure it doesn’t hit your fans.”
from: “Mad as Hell“
“I firmly believe that the quality of our life is greatly determined by the quality of our relationships. Taking the time to strengthen those relationships is vital and invigorating.”
from: “How I Became An Egotistical Bastard“
“People in our profession have a strange relationship with the truth. We get paid to pretend. The most convincing liars get the nicest paychecks, an Oscar and a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. However, true talent, trust and integrity are the cornerstones of a successful career. Trust must be earned. True talent and integrity can never be faked.”
from: “Ten Lies Voice Overs Tell“
“Your mindset is the filter through which you look at reality and interpret what it means to you and which actions to take.”
“There are no silver platters, silver bullets or golden shortcuts to the top.”
from: “Why some will never make it“
“Money is a means to a beginning. That beginning is called “autonomy”. As long as you low ball whatever it is you’re offering, you’re telling the world that you don’t believe that you’re worth a penny more. That’s not the road to independence. It’s a road to nowhere.”
“Passionate people have a tendency to be stuck in the now, absorbed in the moment. But even those who have reached the top will tell you that you need to think ahead if you want to stay ahead. If you want to manage your career, you have to learn how to manage your money.”
from: “Right on the Money“
“You will never do your best work for the love of money. You do your best work when you hold yourself up to standards no one else can or will match. Your best work is always a labor of love and never the result of greed.”
from: “Are you taking kickbacks?“
“Quality calls for experience, dedication, patience and passion. It’s so much easier to be average. Mediocrity can be phoned in. It doesn’t require effort, enthusiasm or attention to detail. It doesn’t ask for sacrifice, continued education or for high-end equipment.”
from: “Finding your Value as a Voice-Over“
“The greatest goals are never about personal fame and fortune, and they will never come true the way you imagined them to come true.
At the end of the day, every goal is a picture of what you believe you’re capable of, with all the resources you have available right now.
That means that every goal is limited by your imagination and your perception of what is possible.
The most ambitious goals will seem unrealistic and unreasonable, and yet, even those are confined by what you think you can or cannot accomplish.”
from: “Are You a Winner or a Whiner“
Have a peaceful, productive and prosperous new year!
PS Be sweet. Please retweet!
Paul,
Thanks for sharing not only your insight, but your entertaining writing skills. I am one of those 965 each time. And I look forward to maintaining my membership in that club for 2012.
dD
Some crackingly good quotes here Paul. Thank you for all of your thought provoking and sometimes challenging comments, for your integrity and honesty and for challenging us all to work a little harder, be a little braver and to push the boundaries a little further. Your commitment to and your love of this strange industry shine through, and I wish you peace, prosperity and success for 2012 – and I hope you will continue to inspire, challenge and entertain in your blogs throughout the new year.
Helen
Its been an absolute privilege stumbling onto your blog, and “getting to know you” Paul. You’re commitment to the craft AND to your blog is admirable. Continued success in the new year! And CONGRATULATIONS!
Doug, Helen and Tony: I promise to do my very best to keep on writing about issues that bubble up to the surface of my brain. May the new year bring continued inspiration and success to all of you!
luvvit, Paul! keep on bloggin’! Happy 2012 from The Eternal City.
Edwin @VPI
Paul.. you have indeed accomplished a lot this year, my friend!
I really enjoyed your quotes and recap. Some of which I missed the first time around. Keep up the good work… stay true and stay bold!
As for me this year, I finally learned how to tie my own shoes!
Mom would be so proud!
You’re right: this has been a remarkable year for me in many ways. But more valuable than any hard- or software upgrade or nifty VO-gadgets, is the friendship and support from colleagues like you.
Have an amazing New Year, Rick. Put on your best boots because it’s gonna be a heck of a ride. No shoe laces required!
Thanks for those kind words, Paul.
And now you know why I wear my boots all the time!