Healthy & positive mindsets in the acting field.

So, I originally thought about making this type of post into a guide, but decided it would be better suited here where we can all contribute, share our thoughts, and (hopefully) be really honest with each other about things we've learned. I also want to make it clear that this is very much not meant as "me telling you what to do/how to think" because I am a person who has struggled a lot with envy, comparison, etc and these are tips that helped me with learning to deal with such pitfalls in a more constructive manner. As always, I would love to hear other thoughts, input and stories on negative mindsets as they relate to this field and how you overcame (or maybe are still struggling) to overcome them.

I had several conversations with people recently where the topic of actors supporting each other came up, and I think it's an important thing to discuss and think about. As voice actors, we are individual people and businesspeople, but we are also a collective unit to a degree. In a field that is competitive by nature, it is very easy to let negative thoughts of comparison, envy, and bitterness take hold even when you know those feelings may not be a healthy or mature way to approach things. Not everyone will get along with each other (as is human nature), but I think it's important that we generally stand with and look out for our fellow actors.

Collection of random thoughts (may edit later):

Your worth as a person is not determined by how successful you are in your career.
This is a hard one. If you're a very career-oriented person (like I am), you think of your worth in terms of how much money you make, how long your resume is, what kind of big stuff you've worked on. It's not to say these things don't count for anything, but you have to learn to separate your business from you personally. It doesn't make you less of a person for not having booked as many big roles as someone else... and on the flip side, it doesn't make you more of a person than someone else for being more successful than them, so we need to watch that attitude too.

Someone else's accomplishing something does not mean anything is taken away from you.
There's sort of a false equivalent that when something really good happens to another person, it means a loss or failure on your part. Logically, this is not true. There may be a finite number of roles in certain projects, but there's not a finite number of "success" that can go around. On that note, when you have an opportunity to open the door for a friend, do so! Chances are, someone has done that for you, too.

Turn jealousy on its head and use it to motivate you.
Jealousy isn’t fun, but sometimes it’s inevitable. So the next time you catch yourself feeling jealous of someone, ask yourself 1) what is it they have that you’d really like for yourself too, and 2) what are concrete steps you can take to achieve that goal? For instance, if you’re jealous of your friend because they got signed to a really big agency, think about what steps you can take in both the short term and the long term to accomplish something similar. Remember that achieving your goals takes time, and you may not achieve them at the same rate the others do. That’s okay.

Realize that for all the people you envy, there's probably someone out there who'd be grateful to have something you've accomplished, too.
No matter how small you feel your victories are, you're never truly at the bottom of the barrel. Have you ever been paid for a VO job? Chances are there's someone out there just starting out who wishes they could say the same. Have you ever had your name in the credits of a project, even a small one? That's something to be proud of. It’s in our nature to always be looking ahead to the next goalpost, but don’t lose sight of what you’ve already done. A good thing to do once a year is to make a list of 50 really cool things you’ve accomplished, no matter how big or small, and look back and realize that hey, you’re actually not as bad as you think you are

Support your friends and colleagues.
You have nothing to lose by being happy for those around you. Even if you don’t get an opportunity you want, having it go to a friend is the next best thing, right? Support others in their accomplishments and when the time comes that it’s you who gets an amazing opportunity, you’ll have a circle of people supporting you, too. The same goes to looking out for your friends and fellow actors. Never screw over another actor to get a part—-that small short-term victory isn’t worth it, and you’ll only establish yourself as someone who can’t be trusted and is only looking out for themselves. Acting is a competitive business by nature, but one of the most valuable assets is having a team of people in your corner when you need it most. If you see a part up for audition that a friend of yours would be perfect for, see if you can refer them. When something great happens, congratulate them. Rather than being your best friend’s secret rival, be their loudest cheerleader.

Social media isn’t an accurate representation of people’s lives.
It’s easy to feel inadequate when you see other actors constantly posting selfies in the booth with slightly vomit-inducing hashtags like #workingactor #lovemyjob #voiceoverlife #igetpaidforthis …you name it. Maybe people vaguepost about how many jobs they’re booking or all the cool stuff they’re working on, or it seems like every other day they have a new role announcement. But one of the best words of wisdom I’ve heard regarding this phenomenon is “With social media, you’re only seeing someone else’s highlight reel.” These actors are dealing with anxiety and insecurities just like you are. Perhaps they may even humblebrag about how well they’re doing as a way to cover up their own feelings of inadequacy! But like any job, there are good days and bad days. There are days we lose out on a part we wanted so badly, days where we get recast, days where we work with really difficult directors or clients, or days that we walk out feeling like we completely bombed an audition. But you don’t see that stuff on social media because it’s considered kind of taboo to talk about. So just remember that even when someone’s life on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram seems perfect, you’re only seeing a small piece of their story.

Age is just a number.
It’s easy to look at people years younger than you and feel like you’ve missed out or are too late getting started in your career. While some people do start at a young age and therefore may have an advantage, it’s never really too late to take steps toward achieving your goal. Keep in mind, too, that people progress at different rates. You could accomplish in one year what someone else accomplishes in three to five years, or vice versa. It’s easy to get stuck on wanting to hit certain milestones—-“by age 30, I want to accomplish THIS much”, and while it’s good to have goalposts you want to hit, don’t stress if it takes a little longer than anticipated. In the same way, don't compare yourself to people who are working in a different market than you! Someone living in Los Angeles is naturally going to have a lot more audition opportunities than someone living in Iowa, for instance.

For the most part, no one outside of a niche world really gives a crap.
Voice actors are a big thing in the world of anime fans, fans of specific online media projects, and certain video games. People go to conventions to see certain people, make fan clubs for them, talk about them on social media, etc. I have a number of non-actor friends who freak out just finding out that I'm friends with a certain person they're a fan of. It's so easy to think "well if I were as popular or successful as them, then people would think/talk that way about me too." That may be true, but also put things in perspective. If you were to go to random people on the street or a public setting NOT at a convention or anime club and ask them if they knew any number of popular voice actors, they'd probably have no clue what you're talking about because they're not part of that world (or if they are, might not watch/play with English voices anyway.) Outside of a few major big-name exceptions, when it comes down to "fame" and all that, the majority of voice actors are essentially big fish in a small pond.

Spend time with people who aren't actors.
Chances are you probably have a circle (whether online and/or in real life) of actor friends, and that's great! But constantly being around actors means people are talking about work. And no matter how happy you may be for your friends, it can start to feel a little bad when everyone at the table is talking about this amazing audition they just got or project you're in and you didn't get to audition for or be in that particular thing. We talked about social media, but this is true on there as well---if you follow a lot of actors, you might see people checking in from certain studios, posting pictures from the booth, or talking about how they're going to be a guest at a convention. If you're in a period of self-doubt, "unplug" for a bit and spend time with friends and family who don't have anything to do with voice acting stuff. You'll get a new perspective and feel a lot better when you realize that there's a much bigger world out there.

Get back to loving what you do.
Take money, popularity and actor politics out of the equation for a second and think about why you wanted to do this in the first place. Why do you love acting? Do you love bringing life to characters, using your imagination, telling a story with your voice? Is there still something kind of magical about seeing a character in a show or game and hearing your voice coming out of them? You chose this path for a reason, whether as a hobby or as a business. If you were really just doing it for money, for example, there are tons of other career paths you could have taken that would have much more financial stability than being a freelance actor! If you were really doing it for fame or followers, you probably could have had an easier time being a YouTuber or social media personality. If you were doing it because you wanted other people to like and respect you, again, there's a million things you could have done that probably would have been easier. But you chose to be an actor because fundamentally, there's something you love about doing it. Think about that.