If you stay true to yourself, you are less likely to get distracted by what appears to be bright and shiny.
I recently decided to give into an aspiration that I had harbored for quite a while that I felt could help my voiceover career. I had seen others 'partake' and had achieved what I thought were fantastic results. The person I would be working with is very well known in the voiceover community. I felt that having this attached to my name would give me a certain 'je ne sais quoi'. I reached out to the person, we connected a few times, he wanted to work with me, the terms of payment were very generous to someone who isn't working as much as they would like to quite yet... all seemed great. Sign me up!!
Research before committing.
It wasn't until then that I started doing my actual, deep-dive research. Rather than just reading on the social networks about all of the awards folks connected to this brand had been bestowed, I actually took the time to 'study' what I was signing up for. Hmm... wasn't exactly what I felt was a good fit for me at this time. For a couple of reasons, none of which have to do with the quality of the product or the person and team I would be working with. Just wasn't sure it was right for me.
After spending a long weekend really thinking about what I had just signed up for and committed to, in addition to the large amount of money I had just transferred out of my bank account, I came to the definitive conclusion that I needed to cancel this partnership. I felt really bad. Was more than a little embarrassed.
Lesson learned.
But I learned a valuable lesson through this experience. Do my homework ahead of time. Look at what I already have and see how I might be able to tweak or adjust to fit my present needs, based on my current ability and capacity as a voice actor. Don't be blinded by the glitz and the glamour, but really think about what my business needs.
For me.