Wow. VO2GoGo’s creator, David H. Lawrence XVII has offered us yet another provocative blog
that gives us pause.
And I
swallowed this particular column whole because I honestly needed to absorb it personally
and professionally. His “Be Selfish
–That Person in The Mirror Is Probably Mistaken” blog is a tonic, so he’s
definitely getting a grand and grateful Debby
Barnes Voice-Over Rah-Rah! from me.
Before
I expound on his article, I must tell you that this guy is a multi-talented force to
be reckoned with. David’s a 30 year radio veteran that decided to switch gears
in order to be a 24/7 actor, on and off camera. He’s also a Voice-Over Artist
that created the VO2GoGo curriculum and the live VO2GoGo classes. He’s the online
and video/audio instructor there, as well.
(He also mentors other performers!) And there’s
more to rave about. His David's IMDb is a truly impressive read. BTW: Another fascinating piece of news about
David, is that he “…created an industry standard Rehearsal App for the iPhone,
allowing actors and VO talent to have a digital rehearsal studio right on their
iPhone or iPad.” Too cool! This dude
just keeps outdoing himself.
But,
back to his blog: “Be Selfish –That
Person in The Mirror Is Probably Mistaken”. Here, he offers us a fascinating window
into his coaching world when he writes about an interesting question his
students' asked. And David responds to them by letting them know that he feels
their particular question is actually the wrong question to be asking. He feels
they don’t need to be worried about this particular issue. “Just be you.”, he says. “Bring
YOU to the party. Make sure YOU and your brand shines.” Choice.
I SO
easily identify with him when he writes about the damning voices in our heads;
the kind that accuse us of not being good enough by reminding us of our
shortcomings. (It actually prompted me to write a new Sunday SideLines about this very issue. Stay tuned.) And when he highlights the way “…we insist on telling ourselves every day just how flawed we are, just
how much we don’t have…”, I took a big gulp. He makes another important
point when he mentions our mirrors. (…and I wholeheartedly agree.) They rarely
help us overcome our perceived flaws. I believe he’s saying that we can become
so preoccupied with what we lack, that we wilt and, as he says: “We literally talk ourselves out-of the
competition.”
When he
finally hits us with why he thinks this is, he states: “Because we’re not selfish enough.” I actually thought this was a
strange opinion. But he goes on to explain exactly what he means, quite eloquently.
And I really appreciated his slant while I was thinking through it.
He
provides us with a video link that drives-home his points and after watching
it, I was stunned. He winds things up nicely by asking us ‘to be selfish’. In
essence, “…I’m asking you to give
yourself a break, go for that strong choice, and give yourself permission to be
spectacular.” What a brilliant reminder.
So, if
this is what he means by being selfish, I need to try it on. And I’m praying
that the person in the mirror is mistaken.
Rah-Rah!
David H. Lawrence XVII
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