I just wrote the subject line on Twitter in response to voice talent Alison Pittman’s tweet:

A negative mindset can be picked up so easily,even over the internet airwaves.
seeps through yr fingers into the keys of yr keyboard&beyond

A negative mindset will prevent you from achieving the success in voice-over that you desire. I previously have written about the power of words and the reason you shouldn’t compare yourself to other people. However, I admit I’m not always good at implementing these points for myself.

What exactly is a negative mindset? According to Esther and Jerry Hicks, authors of numerous books on the Law of Attraction, you will have a negative mindset any time that you feel a negative emotion. They say that a negative emotion indicates you are feeling a lack of harmony with what you really WANT.

For instance, you may complain that a voice-over client is slow to pay you for a recording. What you really WANT is something along these lines:

• appreciation for your work
• respect for your talent and time
• immediate payment for the job

Complaining not only makes you feel worse in the moment, but it actually perpetuates the problem!

I’m currently reading the Hicks book Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health and Happiness. On pages 186-7, the authors assert:

It may sound strange, but the fastest way to an improved work environment is to look for things in your current environment that make you feel good. Most people do exactly the opposite by pointing out the flaws in where they stand in an effort to justify an improved environment. But since the Law of Attraction always gives you more of whatever you are giving your attention to, if you your attention is on unwanted things, then more unwanted things are on the way as well….No matter how justified you are in your negative emotion, you are still messing up your future.

Steve Pavlina wrote on his positive and thought-provoking blog the best explanation I have seen for assuming responsibility for the outcome of your thoughts:

What if I deny responsibility for what I experience? What if I say, “Something out there is causing these problems, and I’m only noticing what is happening”? Then I’m powerless to change my reality. If I focus my thoughts on what I’m already getting, I’ll unknowingly activate the Law of Attraction to continue bringing me more of the same. My situation will never fundamentally change. And how can it change? If I’m thinking about what I’m already getting, then I’m manifesting a loop. It’s stable. If my life is filled with the manifestation of my desires, I’m in heaven. If my life is filled with what I don’t want, I’m in hell.

No matter what your circumstances, you can find something more positive to think/say/write/do about it. If a client is slow to pay you, you can think about the pleasure you had in doing the job. You can think how nice it is that you aren’t depending on that payment for your next meal. Once you begin to appreciate all of the good things in your life, you’ll find more to appreciate.

To reinforce my changes of thought, I will write down lists of things I want to bring to life. Instead of complaining about someone who is slow to pay me for a voice-over job, I will speak and write down words like these:

• I have clients who love and respect me.
• I have clients who want to work with me.
• My clients bring me interesting and well-written scripts that are a pleasure to perform.
• I love when people tell me they recognize my voice after hearing me on an audiobook or national TV commercial; it makes me know I am doing work that means something to people.
• My clients value my time and pay me promptly. In fact, they usually pay me before I can send an invoice.

Over time, I have noticed dramatic shifts in my reality as a result of these kinds of thoughts.

You can’t just change a single thought and expect your world to change. It’s the persistence of positive thought that will bring about the changes you seek. Thought alone does not bring about change, but any change you want to make starts with a change in thought.

Next time you’re feeling negative, try thinking instead of what you WANT. What you put out into world comes back to you, usually in ways you didn’t expect. By projecting a positive attitude, you can expect positive results!