Have you ever worked somewhere that just felt absolutely depressing?
My first job was at Shopko. The acrylic fumes off the clothing, the shitty lite rock Muzak, the bad florescent lighting, the antiseptic plus forgotten food smell of the break room… UGH. It was awful. I absolutely hated it.
I’m sure there’s a retail store I COULD happily work in, but a big box store was not it.
Environment matters.
Or as one of my bosses once said “Perception is reality.”
My perception of working in ShopKo was that shoppers were inconsiderate assholes and that between them and the lack of fresh air, sunshine, and people I actually liked working with, my soul was going to wither away and die if I stayed in that environment.
I cannot work for long in an environment that depresses me.
Once, out of desperation, I worked for an extremely unethical property management company. Not only was it depressing, but I couldn’t live with how I was being forced to be party to some really unethical shit. The office was dank and dreary, my coworkers were basically heartless, and every day was a litany of wrongs done to people without much recourse. As broke as I was at the time, I couldn’t do it. I quit without notice and found something better.
If you’re in a job like that, and it’s weighing you down, KEEP LOOKING until you find better.
If you are being swept out to sea by an undertow, you are supposed to go under the water and swim parallel to the shore until you get away from it. Jobs like that are an undertow that can drown you. Make whatever lateral or even backwards move you have to until you can get back to solid ground
Most of my adult life, I’ve worked in restaurants, and the spaces I have been happiest working in were beautiful, well-designed, relatively clean and well taken care of., and with lots of natural light. My bosses in these spaces had high expectations, but were also fair and supportive. I have always, whenever possible, chosen to work in places that were not just practical, but offering their guests an experience, usually of the highest vibe.
When you work somewhere where every detail is considered, you have to step up your game
I enjoy working in places where the expectations are high for all. I do my best work when people expect me to bring my best, and the environment around me encourages that.
Now, I get that not everyone HAS this option, and that this can come across as snobbish. But in my opinion, everyone should, whenever possible, choose the option in their life that lights them up rather than dulls their shine, and encourages them to be their best self.
If a job, or environment, or the clothes you’re wearing, or a particular person are bringing you down and making you less than your best self…it’s time for a change.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot more inviting than bare concrete…
A few months into the pandemic lockdown, I cleaned my balcony and went and bought patio furniture and about $200 worth of plants, because if I was going to be stuck in my apartment, I at least needed and outside space that would make me feel happy. As I’m writing this blog, I am sitting on that balcony in the golden hour, soaking up some October sunshine in this gorgeous fall weather. And two and a half years later, I’ll tell you—that $200 was WORTH IT in the difference it has made in my mood, my attitude, my energy, etc…
When I was a kid, and my mom and I were very poor, and the neighborhood we lived in was pretty trashy. With hardly any money, my mom made it look better. She went out and picked up the trash in the common areas, she pulled weeds, and in front of our apartment, she planted flowers. By doing this, she even inspired some of our neighbors to do the same.
But it’s more than just your environment. Other choices can impact your energy as well, and make it harder to bring your A-game.
During the beginning of the pandemic, in the early weeks, when things were so very uncertain, I dressed up every day. I put on makeup and did my hair, because it made me feel differently. No one was seeing me. We didn’t even have Zoom yet! But what mattered was how it made me feel.
Early-pandemic me, doing a home photo shoot for no good reason
As the past three years have passed, my energy has waned somewhat. My drive to do certain things has gone. There were definitely points when showering was an afterthought that I might have tomorrow, and my yoga pants fused with my skin. Days where I couldn’t remember the last time I brushed my hair. (Not going to share photos of those days, sorry).
Recently, I told my boyfriend I would like to buy real clothes again and NOT just always wear yoga pants and a t-shirt. Because real clothes make me feel more energized.
Much like working in a restaurant with expectations and standards, real clothes ask more of me than just sitting on the couch, or spending the whole day doing auditions because it’s too hard to try to make plans. Or make friends so I can make plans.
Did I mention that I moved to Atlanta five months before the pandemic, and I still don’t have friends here? Yeah, I really don’t. I only know a few people here, but besides my boyfriend and my roommate, and my Zoom friends, I don’t see many people.
It is said that things are either in a state of growth or a state of decay.
Regular pruning is good for plants and for people.
At times, one area of our life is growing while another is neglected.
It’s good to assess a few times a year and see what needs attention.
I’ve been assessing my life lately to see what I need to change for my own good.
Business-wise, I’m pretty solid—my demo was updated 10 months ago, I do marketing weekly, and I do about 80 auditions every week. I have a business coach/mentor (highly recommend Tom Dheere!), a weekly accountability group, and two weekly workout groups.
Physically, I’m a bit mixed. I go to my regular doctor appointments and dental appointments. I walk a decent amount each week for exercise, but I haven’t done yoga regularly in a long time, and I’ve only managed to lose about half of the “Covid 19” that I gained since 2020.
My habit tracking app helps me make sure that I’m not neglecting different areas of my life. It helps me remember to nurture my relationships (calling my family, staying in touch with friends, etc), to clean my home, to engage in self-care activities that I might otherwise put off indefinitely, and to tackle those less palatable business tasks.
But I think I need to tend to a few areas of my life that are a little harder to address. “Make friends” isn’t a task one can simply tackle in an afternoon and then check off a list.
“Dress in a way that makes me feel creative and excited about the world” is not a single task. It’s many individual tasks. It’s an ongoing process and a way of life.
So, I’m in a state of decay and a state of growth at the same time, but I’m trying to be more thoroughly in a state of growth, just all around.
Start small…
I’m going to start by doing the following things:
Replace my windshield wipers and my broken headlight
Go get my car washed for the first time in…I really don’t remember.
Clean all the junk out of my car’s trunk and vacuum it all.
Get rid of at least ten articles of clothing that don’t fit or that are in an embarrassing state of disrepair.
Buy myself one new outfit this month that makes me feel good about life and excited to go out into the world.
Attend this month’s Spooky Book Club meetup.
Invite a few local people out to do things, aiming for one outing a week to start.
Do fifteen minutes of yoga a day. I used to do this when I had a lot more to do, so it should be no problem now.
Go to bed earlier.
Actually write my blogs. Finish them. And share them with you. I do best when I’m creating an environment for others that requires me to be held accountable to my own high expectations.
None of these things are directly related to voiceover, but I will bet you that my career does better when I am keeping up other areas of my life as well.
How are your actions affecting you?
Are your surroundings at home or at work supporting a good positive mindset?
Is who you spend your time with, what you are wearing, feeding yourself, how you’re supporting your posture and tending to your health helping you to feel your best and encouraging you to do your best work?
If not, what can you do to make the changes, big or small, that will help you continue to grow instead of decay?
Questions about your work specifically:
How old are your demos? (for voice actors, or any other promotional materials if you’re in another industry)
When was the last time you updated your website?
What vibe does your work environment give off? Does it say inefficient mess or thriving professional?
How long has it been since you connected with others in the industry? Are you isolated?
When did you last practice a new skill, learn about a new niche, or try a new way of getting new clients?
This kind of mindfulness works in every aspect of our lives, from our relationships, to our careers.
When you set things to autopilot, and stop actively working to improve them, they start to decay in small ways that over time, begin to be noticeable. You feel more distant from your spouse, wonder when your favorite jeans stopped fitting, or realize that you haven’t booked anything through your agent in a year and a half.
When things get hard, and we don’t have the energy, we coast…we survive, instead of thriving.
It might seem like a paradox, but doing little things that are anti-coasting can actually GIVE you energy if you do them in a mindful way.
Just like cleaning my house and doing my hair and makeup and putting on real pants makes me feel energetically different, I promise you, there are things that take a little effort that will give back exponentially more than you put in.
What changes can you make today to encourage your continual growth?
Thanks for reading! And let’s hold each other accountable, okay?