13175: You Never Forget Your First Time
Hey there, hero!
The number one answer to the question I ask when I’m trying to gauge a student’s concerns about learning, “What are you most worried about?” is so interesting.
And we don’t really think about that one moment, that one concern, that everyone in the world has also experienced. It’s a universal.
And if you give this momentous occasion a thought or two, it can really change your perspective on being a beginner.
Or a “never tried it.”.
Or, at some point, an experienced professional.
Do remember the moment you switched from “I’ve never done this” to “I know how to do this!”? What did that feel like? Let me know in the comments below.
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Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you…
- …become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
- …become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
- …narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
- …have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
- …be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
Raw transcript:
Raw transcript:
I have a number of introductory free
courses that I offer people who want to
get into voiceover want to get into
audiobook
narration and I always ask those people
so what’s your concern what are you most
fearful of what are you worried about
what what’s your biggest
challenge and I actually surveyed I
looked through all the surveys to find
the number one answer and I was
so kind of interested in how to meet
that challenge
and I realized something really
interesting I want to share that with
you when I come back in this episode of
the vo Heroes
[Music]
podcast so when I asked that question in
the survey in those introductory classes
what is your most uh challenging moment
what are you concerned about what’s
what’s keeping you from moving forward
in becoming a voice Talent or an
audiobook narrator one answer became
clear and that was
I’ve never done this
before I’ve never narrated an Audi book
I’ve never auditioned for a commercial
I’ve never done this before and it
occurred to me that this was a
universal every single successful
audiobook narrator voiceover Talent on
camera Talent all of the people that I
deal with in terms of student work in
terms of being on set with being in
studio
with they all experienced that exact
same thing they too had never done at
some point had never done an Audi book
had never done a commercial had never
done anything and then they
had it all changed the moment they did
their first one was their first one very
good I don’t know maybe probably not you
know they had so much to learn and so
much they didn’t even know they didn’t
know but everyone who’s some place that
you’d like to be some place that you’d
like your future self to be kind of
similar to accomplished successful
making money uh having their gear all
set up having their processes set up
having their ability to act and produce
and uh do Voice work and narrate audio
books all the things that you want to
do they had never done it either until
they had until they did so you’re going
to be just like them as well they were
just like you you’re going to be just
like
them and it’s kind of cool to think
about the fact that these people that we
sometimes put on a pedestal that we
would give a a limb to trade uh
positions
with at one point in time they were
exactly like us they were just getting
started they’d never done anything
professionally they’d never done
anything well they’d never done anything
right at at one point they were just
like you and then they
weren’t and I love that that’s going to
be you as well
someday and then they weren’t for you so
cool to think about isn’t it just take a
moment and soak that in maybe some of
you have already experienced that you’re
on your way you’re on a journey you have
done some things and you have gotten
paid for it and you are better than you
were when you first started so you
resonate with this but it’s also
important to remember it because we
constantly are like wow I’m not getting
I’m not moving forward in my journey I’m
yeah not yet but you will you absolutely
will if you stick with it and you learn
more and you try more and you do more
you won’t be like you either you’ll be
the future you it’s so cool to think
about anyway let me know what your
comments are on this because it’s one of
those moments where you can sit back and
go yeah I’m pretty good at this this is
pretty good hit the like button if you
like what you’re hearing uh you can
subscribe to the channel you can hit the
notification Bell and find out when new
episodes come out I’m David H Lawrence
the 17th I thank you so much for
watching and for listening and I will
see you in the next episode of the vo
Heroes
[Music]
podcast
(from YouTube)
It is a fascinating realization. All of us have been new at something all of our lives.
The push to be “perfect” the first time you do something is real for all of us. I remember when my son was little, he wanted to do everything “right” immediately. So I explained to him (a few times) that no one is skilled at something they’ve never tried.
And I have to laugh at myself now because, I’m the one who wanted to be “perfect” when I started this VO journey – out of the gate!
Ah, David , you are so good at holding up the mirror and helping me to be realistic while encouraging and supporting me all through the processes. Thank you!
Oh, yes. I am so skilled at letting perfect be the enemy of good. Now I try to remember that it’s the siren song of perfection, luring me to the doom of inaction. There IS NO PERFECT.
Love this. And it occurs to me that “I’ve never done this before” happens over and over in my life. Each time I start rehearsal on a play. Last Friday when we performed before an audience the first time – “I’ve never done this before!” Move forward and like you said, more and more I can say, yeah, I can do this. I’m actually pretty good. And the more I take those steps – even though each time there’s the trepidation, the hesitation, the moment of mindfulness of “this is a new thing!” -the more I can say, yeah, I’m pretty good at this. Thank you! Great thought provoker.
And, the best part is… confidence grows in line with that experience!
I wasn’t a podcaster. I had never done it. Now I’ve been doing it for four years.