Ever bought something that you thought would have a positive benefit on your life, but never actually used it? Perhaps a piece of fitness equipment, or a healthy cook book.
During the pandemic I did a lot of sitting at my desk. I decided to invest in a balance chair (like a kneeling chair but you don’t actually put weight on your knees). Not only is it good to keep your spine in line, but it also strengthens your core muscles. Amazing! It will be like doing sit ups while I’m sitting at my desk!
These chairs take a bit of getting used to, so you are advised to start with an hour at a time and it can take several weeks to build up strength to sit comfortably all day. I knew what I was getting into and went ahead and bought the magic chair.
I was so excited when it arrived. I assembled it and was really pleased with the quality and strength. I sat on it and – yes – I could feel the small bones in my spine line up like well-behaved school children.
I used it on and off for the first couple of weeks. Sometimes I would sit for too long on it and be a bit achy the next day. Sometimes I forgot to switch chairs and ended up sitting on my old chair all day. But gradually over time, the novelty wore off and three years later I hardly ever use it – even though my back complains when I sit too long in my old chair, and the new chair is RIGHT NEXT TO ME.
What can I learn from this?
I think we are mainly programmed to want instant results. Most of us don’t mind working towards something, but if we don’t see progress quite quickly, we often give up.
Working as a freelancer can be like this sometimes. An initial rush of excitement, lots of activity, and often some success – followed by quiet periods where not much seems to happen. It can be all too easy to think about giving up in those quiet times, to stop doing the small things each day that help you to grow and progress towards your goals. But the lesson is that small things, done regularly, add up to bigger things.
Whether it’s vocal practise, perfecting your studio sound, or reaching out to potential clients – it’s never “finished”. All of these things are ongoing parts of the business.
I’m going to try to use my chair again every day, as I am convinced it wqill make it easier to achieve the elusive “natural” sounding voiceover. And, as I do with my business, I’m going to set a realistic target and tick it off each week to show that I have done it. Without setting targets and monitoring progress, the small things get forgotten and never add up to the big results that you are aiming for.
Keep doing the small things and keep your eye on your end goal!
Photo by Hayley Murray on Unsplash
British Female Voiceover Artist 