Whistle While You Work

AUTUMN MOON is a time of prosperity and reaping what you have sown, both literally and spiritually.

The Chinese symbols in the red box are: happiness, good fortune, and abundance. Original Art by Dina Dargo

The above lovely piccie was found in an email newsletter which I received from Inspiration Line.

My voiceover life is coming along, bit by bit, eyes ahead…keep busy. Was recently cast as the Vampire queen in an internet drama, and am waiting to hear of any revisions on a corporate video project that I’m voicing. Both of them require me to use my British dialect. Hows about that. It’s all good. I’m quite comfortable moving between an American and British dialect — as required. I’m also very grateful that referrals and nibbles are coming to me from my fellow voiceover colleagues.

I found this lovely article on the Inspiration Line Forum Board, and I reprint it here. You can find a permanent link to Inspiration Line else on this page!

Improve Your Mood in 5 Minutes

You’re in a lousy mood and want to feel better fast. What you need is a happiness fix—right now! Try one of these spirit-boosting tips to jump-start joy in 5 minutes or less.

1. Take it all in. “Little things in life that inspire joy are often subtle and don’t always grab your attention,” says Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, author of Positivity. So be on the lookout for small wonders: butterflies in your garden, an amazingly bright full moon.

2. Make up a ridiculous story. If someone is fueling your sour mood, create a goofy character in your head based on that person. “Imagine an outrageous comic calamity befalling him,” says Amy Riley, a life balance consultant for Tiara Coaching in Chicago. You’ll get a good chuckle out of it.

3. Put yourself in the movies. Think of your favorite film scene, one that makes you feel great every time you see it—like Bridget Jones kissing Mark Darcy in the snow. Now picture yourself as the main character. “Embracing that moment triggers optimism,” says John Ryder, PhD, author of Positive Directions.

4. Soak up the sun. Go outside or stand beside a bright window and bask in the warming rays for a few minutes. Sunlight ups the level of vitamin D in your body, which in turn keeps serotonin (a feel-good hormone) high, explains Mehmet Oz, MD, coauthor of You: Being Beautiful.

5. Touch your toes. “It opens up your hip joints, which is where most people store tension,” says Dr. Oz. Hold the position for a minute, then slowly roll up. As you lift, so will your mood.

6. Start a blog. Like journaling, it gives you an outlet for your feelings. “But it may be even better for triggering happiness because people can leave you positive comments,” says Caroline Adams Miller, coauthor of Creating Your Best Life. Begin one at www.Blogger.com/start.

7. Turn on the tunes. Listen to your favorite upbeat song and you’ll be happier in seconds. “Music has a powerful influence over state of mind,” says Alice Domar, PhD, director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Waltham, Massachusetts. That’s because music—especially songs that make you boogie—activates the part of our brain that’s hardwired for pleasure.

8. Show off your moves. Speaking of boogying, that’s another quick way to break into a smile. Got two left feet? It doesn’t matter. “Any form of movement will release endorphins and elevate your mood,” explains Dr. Domar. So while you’re listening to that favorite song, get up and dance.

9. Put photos on the fridge. We look at our refrigerator about 27 times a day, so make the most of it. “Research shows that the happiest people have many joyful family photos displayed in their homes,” says Adams Miller.

10. Get plant-happy. Deadhead the spent flowers on your gardenia or buy a bunch of tulips at the market. Studies show that being around foliage or colorful blooms relieves stress, soothes sadness and increases calmness.

11. Create a new code. Change one of your passwords (e-mail, voice mail, ATM) to a word that primes you to think in an optimistic way—the name of your much-loved pet, the funny nickname you call your husband, or even the word love.

12. Break out of the box. Do one small thing that’s new and unexpected. Put a temporary tattoo on your ankle. Top off your morning coffee with some whipped cream. “Novelty makes people feel good,” says Adams Miller.

13. Mark your calendar. Make a note of an upcoming event that you’re looking forward to—a weekend getaway with your best friend, an outdoor concert with your husband. The sheer anticipation you feel every time you see it penciled in is almost as good as the special event itself.

14. Be generous. A recent study found that when people spent as little as $5 on others, they reported greater feelings of joy. Shopping at the grocery store? Pick up a few staples for your neighbor. Just bought a cup of coffee? Give the barista an extra $5 to pay for the customer behind you.

15. Turn the negative positive. List five to 10 things that went wrong today, then read them out loud, says Riley. It may sound counterintuitive but it works: When you hear all of it together—you dropped your morning bagel on the floor, noticed a new gray hair, discovered that your teen used the last of the shampoo—you’ll see how minor it all is. And a little perspective goes a long way.

16. Send out good vibes. “Text three friends and tell each of them one thing you like about her,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, author of The How of Happiness. Your kind words will make them (and you) feel terrific.

17. Lend a hand. Call a local nursing home, shelter, church or charitable organization and ask how you can help. Those few minutes on the phone are all it takes to kick your spirits into high gear. Knowing that you’ll soon be helping others—and then following through—makes you feel good about yourself, says Susan Ouellette, a health care educator in Baltimore, Maryland.

18. Think of the good stuff. Spend a couple of minutes reflecting on your accomplishments over the past five, 10, 15 years, recommends Dan Baker, PhD, author of What Happy Women Know. Maybe you’re a more skilled cook now than you were then, or perhaps you have developed a lifelong hobby into a successful part-time business. Recognizing and acknowledging your growth will provide an immediate sense of gratification. You’ll be cheered instantly.

By Jennifer Matlack Woman’s Day www.womansday.com

Over the Bank Holiday, I took a litle trip to the Scot’s Grotto in the town of Ware. It was great. The whole house inside and out is made of stones, shells and bits of coloured glass. Here are a few piccies.

Now it’s back to working on another prospect list and then shoot off a few more email demos!

Cheers…

Bookmark this on Delicious

A Walk on the Wild (Nature’s)Side

A little bit of Voiceover/Life Advice which turned up in my

email in-box the other day.

“Turn your dream into a vision, then into a goal, then into a plan and then into reality! After all, a goal is nothing more than a dream with a deadline!

 

Had a chance to take a little break recently in the form of a 6-mile walk along the South West Coastal Path, along the cliffs from a place in Devon called Budleigh-Salterton to Exmouth. I thought it might be too much, but it was great fun. Good exercise. Devon is a lovely area of England. What is it, I wonder, about open spaces that makes one burst into song while hiking? Rather than rabbit on further, I’ll just show you the piccies…

The Starting point

Stop and smell the flowers along the way!

 

 

Clowning around with hubby.

 

 

Looks like we’re in good company here!

 

 

Seagulls getting a free lunch by following the potato farmer

as he turns over the soil.

 

 

This made me feel like we were walking through

a secret fairy garden!

 

The end of the hike at Exmouth. Done! Where’s the pub?!

After our little sojourn, it was back to work. Finished off and uploaded an e-learning video last week focusing on improving listening comprehension skills for beginning/intermediate learners of English as a Second Language. (Please see “Voice Over Videos -3″ page.) Ready to roll now on the next voiceover project. Where are you? Bring it on!

Cheers…

Voiceover — Am I reading?Am I acting? Pass the M&Ms please!

Statue of Liberty from the Ferry

 

After reading several excellent articles on reading and recording voiceovers, I asked myself a question — when I do a voiceover audition or gig, am I — me — reading copy, or am I a character, acting. It’s a little bit of a toughie because I’m not just reciting the copy as I see it on the page. I am acting it/ interpreting it — even if it’s a message on hold.

But, I’m also using my experience and “left brain” logical type thinking to make technical choices such as deciding what’s the heart of the message; who’s the speaker; why is she there; and who is she talking to, and finally what result am I seeking – what do I want (or what does the client want) the audience to do.

Then I have to think, where to breath so the conversation sounds natural, and where to put my emphasis.

So, maybe it’s a kind of very conscious and aware acting — making adjustments as necessary (improv classes are good for developing this skill) instead of making knee-jerk stereotypical choices.

I think this is what gives the “natural” sounding read that so many of my voice over peers excel at!

Ok, I’ve worn myself out with all of this thinking — I think I’d better go lie down!

I’ve started work on the 1st of my series of children’s audiobooks on CDs. Lots of work there, but I’m loving every minute of working on it. More details to come later.

Got a sweet tooth? Did you know there’s an M&M’s (chocolate sweets) store in New York in Times Square? Yes! Here are the piccies to prove it. It was great, I couldn’t believe there was such a store. However with a belly full of M&M peanut samples, I had to believe it!

 

Cheers!

Expectation, Goal Mapping & Travel

Seagulls at Brighton Beach

I was reading an article recently by Dr. Kem Thompson (www.totalsuccessforwomen.com) on the difference between “hope” and “speculation”. I tend to agree with Dr. Kem’s views. When I hope for something it’s like — maybe it will work out, maybe not. But, if I expect a particular outcome, I feel more empowered. If one method of achieving a voiceover – or other – goal doesn’t work out, I can find another way to approach the challenge. Maybe it’s like a maze. The end (expectation) is there, we just have to find the right path — or sequence of turns — to get us there.

By the way, it’s really cool when someone comes into our lives to help us find the way! Cuts the journey time in half! Thank you to all the people that have come into my life to help me on my voice over journey (and my life journey!). And, I hope I’ve been useful and inspirational to others as well.

It’s time to start another Goal Map to plan a move to the next level of my voiceover career. From time to time I re-read Brian Mayne’s most excellent book, Goal Mapping – The Practical Workbook – How to Turn Your Dreams into Realities. It’s about making little (or big) maps that show the path from where you are now, to where you want to be.  You do one version with words of your goals in writing, covering the categories of main goal, when you want it accomplished, as well as the reason why, sub goals, who and how. And you indicate a time line from when you’re starting to your target date.

It’s kind of a tree with your timeline as the trunk; your main goal on top of the timeline; and branches indicating all the other points.

The second version of goal mapping covers the same structure, but everything is done in pictures that we draw ourselves. So that it has the energy of our own creation vs. using images from a magazine or newspaper.

If you follow through and do the actual work that you committed to do — goal mapping can work. I used it on planning a trip to Italy and things did work out.

Brian’s website is:  www.liftinternational.com

CN Tower Toronto (all pictures in these Blog posts are copyright S.Lintonbon-2008, unless otherwise indicated!)

When we were in Toronto, we enjoyed the very best view of the city from the observation floor of the CNTower. We had to queue (line up) for about 1-1/2 hour, but it was worth it. You can see all of the city and the lovely marina; you can take your picture standing on the glass floor if it doesn’t make you quesy to look all the way to down the ground through the glass; AND there’s a nice restaurant there where you can have a meal or a good cup of coffee, and rest your weary feet after all that standing up and walking around.

Keeping amused while waiting in the CN Tower queue!

The Marina has viewed from the restaurant in the CN Tower

 

Cheers!

Auditions, Aromatherapy and Travel

 

 Black-eyed Susan flowers

 growing in the public garden across the road from Niagara Falls (Canadian side).

 

 It’s a gloomy, rainy day around here. Hope the weather’s better where you are!

Got a text from my voice over agent the other day that I had an audition in central London scheduled for the following evening. A one-minute monologue was needed. After crunching out six on-line auditions, I did a little rummaging through my monologue collection and managed to come up with a beauty from The American Dream by Edward Albee. Did my best to learn it the next day in time for the auddy. Didn’t need it after all as the audition consisted of a screen test and acting via lines from the production company’s script. So … anyone who reads this … please cross your fingers, eyes and toes for me, for success in securing the gig (or something better!). And now, on to the next batch of auditions and v-over work gigs.

 

Found a great product from the Body Shop that promises to give one a feeling of instant alertness and energy (without caffeine!). I experimented with it last night & will use it a bit more. If it works favourably and consistently, I’ll tell more about it in a future blog on aromatherapy and voice over (though we all know — no strong scents in the v-o booth!). More research is needed first.

 

On hols, spent a stimulating 24 hours in Detroit hooking up with my childhood pal. The Renaissance Marriott is fantastic. It’s like a city within a hotel, and is right across the road from the lake.

There’s a fantastic “people mover” there that offers a really good, safe way to get an overview of the city when you’re short on time. It’s only 50 cents to ride it. We rolled around on its circular circuit snapping away. It stops at Times Square, Michigan Avenue, Fort/Cass, Cobo Center, Joe Louis Arena, Financial District, Millender Center, Renaissance Center, Bricktown, Greektown, Cadillac Square, Broadway and Grand Circus Park. You can find absolutely fabulous artwork on the station’s walls.

Cobo Center

Other sights from the people mover..

 

and we visited the famous Motown museum

 

Founder of Motown Records

 

Changing the subject, the view from the CN tower in Toronto, Canada is marvelous.

Piccies, and more on that in the next travel blog!

Cheers…

Love, Friendship & Persistence

Hi all!

Just got back from great holidays (vacation) in Canada, Detroit and New York. It was so wonderful to see both new friends and old. I met up with one pal, that I hadn’t seen in 16 years. We’re mates from way back. Happily I was also able to meet up with a few of my fellow voice artists — who are some of my great cyber-pals — from various voice over forums (mostly VO-BB!).

I am really blessed to have had the chance to travel with my hubby, and to meet up with my chums. Hooray for life!

My dear friend Michelle from Chicago

Hubby and I got to spend a bit of time in Detroit to hook up with Michelle. It was wonderful. You’ll find out more about our adventures in my travel blog on the Motor City, Detroit, MI–USA.

In Toronto with fellow voice artists, Elaine and Jodi

In Toronto, Canada, we hung out at the Frog and Firkin with my voice over pals, Elaine Singer and Jodi Krangle. More Toronto exploits to follow in a future blog.

In New York at the cafe with my pal Liz

New York is such a buzzing city. There’s lots to tell and show in another blog. But this piccie is of fellow voice over talent Liz de Nesnera and myself. I was so happy to finally get a chance to meet Liz face to face. she’s a real star!

I found a little friend to keep me company in the waiting queue at the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada

OK, maybe this isn’t a friend in the sense of the word as my other pals, but if a moose had a voice…I could do it! (I’ve done dustballs, dogs, cats & babies voices!) The CN Tower was fantastic and we got a great view from the top. This little moose was to keep us company and pass the time while moving along in the hour-long queue.  More later…

Changing the subject…here’s a little story on the power of persistence & accomplishing a goal one step at a time. Kind of like building a voice over career!

 

THE SECRET GARDEN

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come and see the daffodils before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. Going and coming took most of a day – and I honestly did not have a free day until the following week. “I will come next Tuesday, “ I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove the length of Route 91, continued on I-215, and finally turned onto Route 18 and began to drive up the mountain highway. The tops of the mountains were sheathed in clouds, and I had gone only a few miles when the road was completely covered with a wet, gray blanket of fog. I slowed to a crawl, my heart pounding. The road becomes narrow and winding toward the top of the mountain. As I executed the hazardous turns at a snail’s pace, I was praying to reach the turnoff at Blue Jay that would signify I had arrived. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these darling children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!” My daughter smiled calmly, “We drive in this all the time, Mother.” “Well, you won’t get me back on the road until it clears – and then I’m heading for home!” I assured her. “I was hoping you’d take me over to the garage to pick up my car. The mechanic just called, and they’ve finished repairing the engine,” she answered. “How far will we have to drive?” I asked cautiously. “Just a few blocks,” Carolyn said cheerfully. So we buckled up the children and went out to my car. “I’ll drive,” Carolyn offered. “I’m used to this.” We got into the car, and she began driving.

In a few minutes I was aware that we were back on the Rim-of-the-World Road heading over the top of the mountain. “Where are we going?” I exclaimed, distressed to be back on the mountain road in the fog. “This isn’t the way to the garage!” “We’re going to my garage the long way,” Carolyn smiled, “by way of the daffodils.” “Carolyn,” I said sternly, trying to sound as if I was still the mother and in charge of the situation, “please turn around. There is nothing in the world that I want to see enough to drive on this road in this weather.” “It’s all right, Mother,” She replied with a knowing grin. “I know what I’m doing. I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.” And so my sweet, darling daughter who had never given me a minute of difficulty in her whole life was suddenly in charge – and she was kidnapping me! I couldn’t believe it. Like it or not, I was on the way to see some ridiculous daffodils – driving through the thick, gray silence of the mist-wrapped mountaintop at what I thought was risk to life and limb. I muttered all the way. After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road that branched down into an oak-filled hollow on the side of the mountain. The Fog had lifted a little, but the sky was lowering, gray and heavy with clouds. We parked in a small parking lot adjoining a little stone church. From our vantage point at the top of the mountain we could see beyond us, in the mist, the crests of the San Bernardino range like the dark, humped backs of a herd of elephants. Far below us the fog-shrouded valleys, hills, and flatlands stretched away to the desert. On the far side of the church I saw a pine-needle-covered path, with towering evergreens and manzanita bushes and an inconspicuous, lettered sign “Daffodil Garden.” We each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path as it wound through the trees.

The mountain sloped away from the side of the path in irregular dips, folds, and valleys, like a deeply creased skirt. Live oaks, mountain laurel, shrubs, and bushes clustered in the folds, and in the gray, drizzling air, the green foliage looked dark and monochromatic. I shivered. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight, unexpectedly and completely splendid. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. Even in the mist-filled air, the mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety (I learned later that there were more than thirty-five varieties of daffodils in the vast display) was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.

In the center of this incredible and dazzling display of gold, a great cascade of purple grape hyacinth flowed down like a waterfall of blossoms framed in its own rock-lined basin, weaving through the brilliant daffodils. A charming path wound throughout the garden. There were several resting stations, paved with stone and furnished with Victorian wooden benches and great tubs of coral and carmine tulips. As though this were not magnificence enough, Mother Nature had to add her own grace note – above the daffodils, a bevy of western bluebirds flitted and darted, flashing their brilliance. These charming little birds are the color of sapphires with breasts of magenta red. As they dance in the air, their colors are truly like jewels above the blowing, glowing daffodils. The effect was spectacular. It did not matter that the sun was not shining. The brilliance of the daffodils was like the glow of the brightest sunlit day. Words, wonderful as they are, simply cannot describe the incredible beauty of that flower-bedecked mountain top. Five acres of flowers! (This too I discovered later when some of my questions were answered.) “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. I was overflowing with gratitude that she brought me – even against my will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “Who?” I asked again, almost speechless with wonder, “And how, and why, and when?”

“It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “She lives on the property. That’s her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house, my mind buzzing with questions. On the patio we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman, two hands, two feet, and very little brain.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.” There it was. The Daffodil Principle. For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun – one bulb at a time – to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. One bulb at a time. There was no other way to do it. One bulb at a time. No shortcuts – simply loving the slow process of planting. Loving the work as it unfolded. Loving an achievement that grew so slowly and that bloomed for only three weeks of each year. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world. This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principle of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time – often just one baby-step at a time – learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

“Carolyn,” I said that morning on the top of the mountain as we left the haven of daffodils, our minds and hearts still bathed and bemused by the splendors we had seen, “it’s as though that remarkable woman has needle-pointed the earth! Decorated it. Just think of it, she planted every single bulb for more than thirty years. One bulb at a time! And that’s the only way this garden could be created. Every individual bulb had to be planted. There was no way of short-circuiting that process. Five acres of blooms. That magnificent cascade of hyacinth! All, all, just one bulb at a time.” The thought of it filled my mind. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications of what I had seen. “It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”

My wise daughter put the car into gear and summed up the message of the day in her direct way. “Start tomorrow,” she said with the same knowing smile she had worn for most of the morning. Oh, profound wisdom! It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, “How can I put this to use tomorrow?”

~ By Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards, this story is also known as,
‘The Daffodil Principle’ and ‘Where the Sun Splashed Gold,’ from her book
Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner: Personal Discoveries of a Mother of Twelve

 Cheers!

 

Got the Travel Bug!

A collection of global travel pics…

Travel –good voiceover dialect variety study… good time away from home for a bit!

Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel’s immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way.

–Ralph Crawshaw

Canals of Venice, Italy

 We must get beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.

–John Hope Franklin

Japan -- Sushi served at a celebration dinner

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.

–Susan Heller

   

 

 

Devon, England

 

A journey of a thousand miles starts in front of your feet.

– Lao-tzu

 

GrandPlace Townhall, Brussels, Belgium

A traveller without observation is a bird without wings.

–Moslih Eddin Saadi

Hatherleigh Sculpture, England

 The man who goes out alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that

other is ready.–Henry David Thoreau

 

Osaka, Japan (piccie taken by my hubby)

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.–Izaak Walton

Palm Trees in India

 Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.–Charles Dudley Warner  

 

 

Pelican feeling sociable in Cyprus

 

 

 What’s your favourite travel destination?

 

 Cheers!