Feb 7, 2020
Episode 04 Show notes: Mistakes I have made
I have made mistakes along my journey from pharmacist to voice actor. It’s ok to share your mistakes.
Why would I create a podcast episode to talk about mistakes I have made? I want you to know that I’m human. I make mistakes, but I try to fail forward. I learn from my mistakes, and I don’t give up. Whenever possible, I like to learn from the mistakes of others. It saves me the hassle of making the same mistake.
7 of my mistakes
- My first logo. My graphic designer, Margo, created a great first logo. It wasn’t right for me, but her second attempt is the logo on my website today. Margo did a great job. Her website is https://www.designbymep.com. She also created my podcast artwork. (I love both!) Thanks Margo!
- Hoarding ideas and not sharing them. I feared idea theft. No one has stolen my ideas that I know of. I may hurt some feelings by keeping my idea to myself. I definitely missed out on input from others. When I share my ideas, I get input from others. People love to solve problems, and I appreciate the help.
- Working with people outside of the voiceover industry to do branding and marketing. Professionals in the voiceover industry have the right eyes, ears, and knowledge base to help voice actors. I need to make the right connections and listen to them.
- Wanting to narrate pharmacist continuing education journals was not a mistake; assuming my idea would work was a mistake. Narrating journals may not be “a thing” because they weren’t meant to be read out loud. Maybe a summary could be an alternative? Ellipses, abbreviations, and other elements make it difficult to read straight through. Complicated sentence structure needs to be simplified. Even some of the more conversational journals create barriers to using the journal as a script. Delivery is important.
- Assuming everyone will like my voice and that my vocal age, energy, and accent will be right for the job (narrating continuing pharmacy education journals).
- NaPodPoMo. I thought I could create my podcast and publish daily episodes in the same month. The first episode of my podcast came out in December. Oops.
- Staying in situations that aren’t right for me. I worked for a company for 9 years. I waited until my breaking point to leave. I should have left sooner.
In summary, I’m human, and I have made mistakes. Will I make more? You bet! Am I going to give up because of them? No! Will I learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others? Of course!
I’m enjoying my transition from pharmacist to voice actor, and I’m taking the good with the bad. If you’re making a transition too, give yourself some grace. Making a big change can be hard. You will make mistakes. Use your failures to do better in the future. Don’t give up. And, if possible, learn from the mistakes of others.
Visit thepharmacistsvoice.com to subscribe and read the show notes.