0043: Three Ways To Deepen Your Gratitude Game
Video:
Audio:
Show notes:
Hey there, hero!
At this time of year in the States, we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, and I wanted to give you three little suggestions on how to deepen your gratitude game.
And I have a classic question: what two things are you most thankful for? Watch the video to the end to see exactly what I’m asking about, and let me know in the comments below.
Raw transcript:
Raw transcript
as we approach thanksgiving here in the
united states
and along with other countries around
the world sort of celebrating the
uh the end of the year the beginning of
a new year
i don’t want to teach you anything about
giving thanks
but i would like to remind you of some
ways
that might make being thankful a little
bit easier
and we’ll talk about that and how it
affects voice talent and actors in this
episode of the vo heroes podcast
[Music]
so as i sit here and
as i record this we’re in the week
that’s leading up to the thanksgiving
holiday here in the united states many
many countries have
a
national holiday a day set aside
specifically for
giving thanks
and you got to wonder why that is there
are so many things about our lives that
we could have a holiday about and we do
but somehow giving thanks is almost
universal
every country has some sort of day that
is set aside for what is essentially
the
claiming of gratitude
and
there are times when our lives are so
filled with crap
that it’s hard
to
remember
that we have a lot to be thankful for
and it comes off sometimes as really
pollyannish very oh
isn’t that wonderful ah that’s just
great you don’t have any idea what my
life is like right but i do
i do
i’ve had many brushes with disaster in
my life
and
that
in and of itself given where i am today
and maybe for you where you are today
should be proof enough
that we make some mistakes sometimes
when it comes to being thankful
and one of the first things that we
forget to do
is notice things that are good
it’s a it’s a practiced art for some
people other people comes very easily
they know the good things in their lives
and they can recognize them and they can
state things about them they can call
them out they notice them they describe
them they’re happy about them
with other people it’s all about the
negative it’s all about what’s bad
those are a lot easier to see than the
things that are good and when you think
about it look just the fact that you’re
watching this video that you got up this
morning
and could still breathe
and
i’m assuming aren’t feeling so horrible
about things that you’re not watching
this video you’re at the hospital
there are these things that are obvious
but that we forget to notice things that
we forget to identify
we spend a whole lot of our lives trying
to fix the negative as opposed to
remembering and celebrating the positive
because we don’t see a benefit from it
okay great things are going good for me
yeah that’s great thank you so much this
is bad and i need to fix it
all right well let’s think about that
and unpack that for a moment
certainly
if something is
being harmful to you if something is
holding you back if something isn’t as
good as it could be and you want to set
about fixing it great but once you fix
it what then do you just forget about it
you just shove it aside that’s done now
let’s move on to the next disaster or
how about
enjoying and celebrating
and using the things
that you’ve done that are good
the things that you fixed for actors for
voice talent i figured out how to use
that app to to shoot a a video audition
or to record a voiceover audition i’m
pretty good at that now that’s good
we forget about that because that’s done
that’s checked off of our ivy list or
whatever you’re using for your to-do
list but the next disaster is waiting to
be fixed right
i would like to invite you to remember
just how far you’ve come
you can look back to the days when you
didn’t know crap about this business you
didn’t know anything about acting you
didn’t know anything about auditioning
you didn’t know anything about voiceover
look how far you’ve come
and take a moment
and be thankful for that
now the third thing that i want to talk
about after noticing the good
to
celebrate that as well as fix the
negative the third thing i want you to
remember is you didn’t get here alone
i remind myself of that every single day
nothing about where i am today
is
something that happened in a vacuum it
all happened with
the help of others
the examples of others doing things
effectively the examples of others doing
things that i kind of want to avoid
even the people that are critics
have played a role
in me being where i am today and i
believe
that it’s likely the same for you
and so what i’d like you to do
i’d like to invite you to join me in
celebrating the notion
that
where we are today
is not just due to what we’ve done
but to the support
the examples the help the guidance the
mentorship of others and remember that
when you’re celebrating this holiday
season
and the best way to remember that is to
spread
the credit
spread the credit share
the gratitude with others
there is nothing like taking a moment on
thanksgiving day here in the states or
whatever day it is where you are
and making a quick phone call popping an
email maybe a text message whatever it
is to someone else that you’re thankful
for
you’re thankful for what they’ve done
for you
what they’ve
modeled for you
what information they’ve given you
what warnings they’ve shared with you
that have saved you
from making massive or maybe even tiny
little mistakes
but the people in your life
that have made the difference in where
you are today even those people
who didn’t do something positive for you
but did something negative to you or
near you or to someone you love
because that too is an example
that too is a model
you know
i’ve said my definition of success
millions of times do more of what works
and less of what doesn’t right
but
seeing somebody do something that
doesn’t work
and noticing that that’s just as much to
be thankful for as noticing somebody who
has a world-class strategy or tactic for
something that you admire and want to
emulate
so
those three things
notice the good
look for the good notice what’s good
notice what’s positive
yes fix the things
that are negative but celebrate those
things that are positive after you’ve
noticed them celebrate them
and third spread the credit
share with someone else
those things about them that you’re
thankful for
and don’t forget
to look in the mirror
and share with that person as well
i’d love to know just two things from
you two things
that you’re thankful for two things
and i want you to scratch off the list
the urging to say you david because a
lot of people will do that and i
appreciate that i really really do
but i want you to think about the things
both positive and negative that you’re
thankful for the people in your life the
things that you’ve learned the things
that you’ve avoided the things that
you’ve fixed the things that have gone
really well for you
please
in the comments below wherever you’re
doing this if you’re not watching this
on voheros.com please take a moment and
pop over and do that that’s where the
conversation is nice and sane i am so
thankful for that community
please
two things two things that you’re
thankful for that’s all i want
because it’s easy to come up with one
thing sometimes it’s a little difficult
to come up with that second thing yeah
and i want you to know that i am
thankful for you as being a part of my
community
so i appreciate that i thank you so much
for watching i’m david h lawrence the
17th and i also thank you so much for
listening you can either watch or hear
this podcast
and i will see you in the next episode
of the vo heroes podcast
[Music]
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Thanks David.
I’m grateful for my boss giving me a push to do something different than real estate.
And I’m grateful for my little dog, Milo, who always brings light and joy into my life, even in the really dark moments.
Well-spoken, David.
I’m thankful for my deep interest in having a spiritual mindset, which taught me long ago, that the most fertile soil for success is gratitude.
I’m also grateful that my comfortableness with truly experiencing and expressing a wide range emotions makes my acting work and zest for life possible..
Well, you beat me to it, David. You. Of course I’m grateful to you for modeling such grace and give-yourself-a-break-ism. So that’s.a freebie. I’m grateful to all the teachers in my life, dance teachers, gurus, mother, father, daughters, friends, enemies. I’m grateful for the sky. It just keeps being gorgeous. Look at that color of blue! Look at those clouds. Look at that sunset. Look at that moon. It’s a constant changing always beautiful work of art that’s just up there. For free. Thanks again for reminding me to look!
Thank you so much for this important reminder to practice gratitude. It can’t be said often enough! I’m grateful for the time these last 20 months have given me to slow down and pare down and see more clearly what’ really matters (& what doesn’t). 2nd thing is the courage that gives me to be more of whom I am and less of what I’m not, to twist your aphorism a bit. Plus, my cat, but that’s three.
I am thankful to God for:
1) The training I received online via VOHeroes and the ACX Masterclass. I started knowing nothing about the tech side of VO, and now I am recording/producing audiobooks.
2) A place (VOHeroes) where I can continue to grow in my VO skills and knowledge.
Very well said, David. I must say that I have a number of people whom I can thank, but highest on that list is my wife, who constantly reminds me to stay on track and not chase dead ends. Also, thankful to my agent who has done more than represent, but has built a supportive community within the agency where clients support, inform and exchange ideas with each other. And… I’m looking forward to the VOHeroes journey as it continues! Thanks again, David.
I’m grateful for my wife and daughter.
Having been to hell and back a couple of times and living through a handful of shit shows, I am always most grateful for my family. In particular my brother and sister in law and the children I raised to be mentsches (and their spouses) who, as adults are my friends, supporters and role models. I am also deeply grateful for my late-in-life willingness to take risks, make mistakes quite publicly and learn from all of that. What a gift that is!