It's been quite awhile since I've posted, for a couple reasons. First, I think this was do to a depressive state due to the winter; as well as a financial stagnation, as I fell into the trap of "Expense Creep." Though my income and my savings both rose significantly last year, with the purchase of a car, a family cabin, and a raise in rent and insurances, my expenses went up by $1,260 a month! A large portion of which, is recurring payments...ugh.
Quite suddenly, my feeling of success and my pared down lifestyle became the epitome of the middle-class "house poor, car poor" drudgery. I began to work just to pay off debt, which felt like struggling to get out of quick-sand
A couple of my large recurring VO clients moved on to new campaigns and new voices for said campaigns.
I went through a long period of self-reflection, self-flagellation, and quite literally depression. I no longer felt successful, or happy, or qualified to blog about success principles and success in the sphere of Voiceover.
My surplus had become a drought.
How did I pull myself out of it?
First, a season of reading and listening to a lot of differing philosophers and philosophies, both ancient and modern. This led me to realize that my struggles are universal to all human beings, from all times, which made me feel a sense of belonging, even in my struggles and isolation. It also led me to question at the very foundations of my values, habits, and priorities in life.
Second, I leveraged a few action plans/programs from people who've been there before. I went back to using Dave Ramsey's tenants for overcoming debt and financial planning. I used Tim Ferriss' books The 4-Hour Workweek, and, more recently, Tools of Titans, to keep my inspiration at a peak, as well as choose habits and mindsets that were most useful to my own happiness and fulfillment. I also asked older actors how they went about meeting or exceeding their financial needs throughout their career.
Third, I spent two and a half months working everywhere and anywhere I could. I had two and a half months off between runs of my show in Chicago. That was two and a half months where my income would not be fixed, and I could go on the offense with attacking my debt and my depressive state. I knew that by attacking my major stressor (debt), constantly moving, and gaining ground on my short-term goal: my depressed mood would take care of itself.
In those 10 weeks, I: went to Wisconsin Dells to bartend at my friends' brewery for 8 weekends, traveled to Baltimore 3 times and Philadelphia 1 time to consult, consulted in Chicago, still had a couple VO gigs, and went to two weddings and a bachelor party. I read more, moved more, and prioritized my time more, and now (thankfully!) I'm back on firm footing.
This whole experience helped me to realize:
1) that i need to always prioritize my savings and funding for my basic human needs,
2) more money can easily lead to much more want and debt, if I don't prioritize #1,
3) learning is a process that will have ups and downs, and not to be so hard on myself,
4) I can always get back my self-confidence by setting goals, and working hard,
5) I should've been blogging throughout these struggles, aka writing helps focus things,
6) always read, share, ask questions, and keep inspiration at a peak.
Thanks for reading, and Happy Voiceover-ing! :o)