Like so many, I am a worrier!  I want control over everything in my life!  I have opinions on politics, current affairs, food, sex, drugs, rock n roll and how everyone should live!  Did you catch the punctuation at the end of the previous sentences? Don’t get me started on COVID! Ok, I can be intense! I prefer labelling it energized.  But please don’t hate me for it.  I truly can’t sit still.

After every job I worry that I’ll never get another gig again.  I feel guilty when I don’t meet my own expectations of excellence and that revs me up into overdrive to make up for it.  Over the top seems to be my normal state.  When things are calm and quiet, I get anxious and stressed because there is no stress.  And of course I stress when things really are stressful.  This has been my state of mind for the last few weeks.  And then!  I just found out that one of my commercials is so popular it is being submitted for Emmy/Telly awards! What???!!!

I remember doing that spot and thinking I wasn’t my best at all.  The super talent I was working with was a hot shot veteran in LA.  I remember thinking the producer was going to call any hour to ask for re-takes or re-cast my character. She did call me but asked  for two additional spots.  I stressed out some more.

Ok, you’re laughing and I am too!  That same day I found out, I was having a bad day with my marketing strategies and setting up meetings, and sending out hellos to my contacts and clients I wanted to hang on to for dear life.  I went from fidgety hopelessness to doing my happy dance in five minutes.

No, I am not bi-polar!  But I do seem to live life in a series of exclamation points.  It does make things interesting.  Please don’t call me a drama queen.  I’m too much of a loner for that.  However, with so much energy in my DNA its a great motivator to get things done! Do you also live life by going from one
exclamation to another?  Here’s a quiz I came up with to help you figure it out.

1.  Your instinct seems to yell at you.
2.  You can finish someone’s lines when watching TV/films and you’ve never seen the show.
3.  You make firm decisions by the seat of your pants.
4.  Consequences of your decisions are dealt with and may include profuse apologies or a happy dance!
5.  You get giddy over the craziest things.
6.  You have melt down over the craziest things.
7.  You see the simplicity at the base of most struggles.
8.  You won’t except the first three “no’s,” from anyone.
9.  You are skinny because it takes a lot of calories to keep those neck, shoulder, jaw muscles tight.
10. You get bored and impatient with those who procrastinate, are indecisive or just plain lazy.

Well, reading this back to myself, I see I need to chill out!  So I’m going to work at slowing down, taking more time off and living life with commas or semi colons.  I won’t cogitate on AI ruining the life blood of voice over, or where my next gig is going to come from, do I have enough money to invest in a VO coaching or finding material for a new demo or paying for that demo,  (I am working on new demo!!!!)  Uh oh, that was an exclamation point.  See what I mean?

Have a great month, my friends!!