Just Don’t Want It So Bad

In voiceover, and really, in any creative field, so much of what we do depends on mindset. You can have the training, the skill, the best gear money can buy, but if your head and heart are locked in a tug-of-war, everything tightens up. The read gets stiff. The flow disappears. And suddenly, you’re chasing something that used to come naturally.

Doesn’t it seem like when you’re trying, and trying, and trying to do something, the goal gets farther and farther away?

You keep doing all the right things. You're showing up, working hard, following the plan, and yet somehow, it feels like the harder you try, the slipperier the finish line becomes.

One of my dog training coaches used to tell me, “Just don’t want it so bad.”

At the time, I remember thinking, What kind of nonsense is that? How do you just not want something you’ve been chasing for months , or in my case, years? How do you go from really wanting it to eh, whatever happens, happens? That’s not how I’m wired.

But I think I understand it now.

It’s not really about wanting less. It’s about letting go of that anxious, desperate edge that sneaks in when you care too much. The energy that tightens your shoulders and shortens your breath. The kind that turns something you love into something you’re forcing.

When I think about it that way, I can almost hear her saying, “Just look around for a second. You’re here. You’re healthy. You’ve done the training. You get to be part of this moment. Let that be enough.”

And it doesn’t take the desire away. It just shifts the focus.

Lately, I’ve been testing that idea in a way that surprises even me. I started a gratitude journal.

Now, I’ve never been a journal person. The idea of writing “Dear Diary” has always made me cringe a little. I admire people who find comfort in writing out their thoughts every day, but that’s never been me. Still, I kept hearing people say how much a gratitude journal absolutely changed their lives. So I figured… why not try?

I have app on my phone that lets you keep notes. It looks like a legal pad. At the end of the day, as I'm getting into bed, I reach for my phone one last time and name, specifically, one thing I'm grateful for. My rule is that it must be succint, fitting on one line of the notepad. Short and sweet. One line for every day.

So far, it’s not earth-shattering. But it is early. As of today it's only been about two weeks.

I find myself looking throughout the day for something to put into my notepad. The cup of coffee that tastes just right. A client who sent a kind note. The way my dog looks at me like I’m the best part of his day.

It’s small. Simple. Maybe that’s the whole point.

Maybe “don’t want it so bad” is really another way of saying, “Look for the good.”

If you keep a gratitude journal, I’d love to know: how long did it take before you started to feel the difference? And what changed first: your mood, your energy, or just the way you see the day ahead?