Eyes on the (Voiceover) Prize

Early morning. Shower. Coffee. Social Media.

Instagram: Wow. Look at the incredible new mic she just bought!

Facebook: No way! I can’t believe he booked that spot I auditioned for.

LinkedIn: Are you kidding me? She’s doing 4 more spots at that studio today?

Twitter: What? How did he manage to get on that agent’s roster???

Well that didn’t take long. You’re envious, aggravated and jealous. And the caffeine hasn’t even kicked in yet.

Genetically, we’re programmed to react to perceived threats with an increase in stress hormones. And since our bodies don’t realize that we’re not being chased across the savannah by a wildebeest, it floods our bloodstreams with cortisol and adrenaline and our stress levels skyrocket.

Unfortunately, while we’re shaking our fists at the tiny subset of people we’re naturally inclined to measure ourselves against, we’re also sabotaging our own chances of success.

Yup. Because all of that stress saps our energy and reduces our ability to be creative. And rather than turn that energy into momentum, we (stupidly) waste it on things we have no control over. Like feeling envious, agitated and jealous. Worse yet, none of these feelings is likely to get us any closer to our goals.

So, instead of focusing on the negative, try this:

Appreciate the hard work those other talent have done to achieve their success.

Congratulate them. Honestly and wholeheartedly. Just think…if they got something that you really wanted…they must have wanted it too. (Plus, they were never really your competition to begin with, and you might be inspired to make some positive changes for yourself.)

Remind yourself that no one is as ‘perfect’ as their Facebook posts would have you believe. And that it’s just human nature to compare the worst of ourselves to what we believe to be the best of others. So relax.

Besides, fretting over the competition doesn’t do your clients any good.

But this will:

Focus on yourself. Work on every aspect of your craft. Learning how to be better at what you do, will help you be of greater service to your clients. (And will make it easier for them to hire you.) The more skilled you are, the better the tool you have to offer them for their toolbox.

Focus on your clients, not on your competition. Connect with them. Learn how you can help them. Let them know that they are your priority.

Focus your marketing efforts on one genre at a time. If you chase two rabbits, they’ll both escape.

Focus on the signal, not the noise. Have a clear picture of where you’re headed, and tune out all the other stuff that won’t help you move in that direction.

“Jealousy is the fear of comparison.”  – Max Frisch