Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a sentimental ol’ fool. I love it when others overcome adversities in their lives— when they rise above all obstacles regardless of how long it takes to reach a dream. If you haven’t come across such a story, let me share with you one of the most inspiring and uplifting stories I have seen in a very long time. As a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle, age 47, took the leap to fulfill a life-long dream to become a professional singer. An average, unassuming woman, who has never been married, never been kissed, made her way on stage in front of a live audience and three celebrity judges, including American Idol’s own Simon Cowell. Click here to see her incredible performance. As the camera panned the audience you could see people rolling their eyes in disbelief and giggling. Even the celebrity judges were snickering as Ms Boyle proclaimed her goal of following in the steps of the great singer Elaine Paige. When asked what song she would be singing she proudly and confidently announced she would be performing one of my all-time favorite songs from Les Miserables I Dreamed a Dream. From the moment she sang the first note she was living her dream--her dream to sing. She sang with the voice of an angel, never once wavering in her belief that this was her time--her time to fulfill her dream. Her grace, dignity, and beautiful glow brought tears to my eyes. The lyrics were so inspiring and yet she held her composure as the audience was brought to their feet throughout her performance. Even the judges appeared awestruck by this ordinary woman singing each lyric with such confidence and conviction. And of course the crème de la crème was seeing her exhilarating response when she was told that she was coming back. Wow, I felt I was right there with her, cheering her on. Her story teaches all of us that we cannot and should not allow other people’s perception of us to stand in our way of reaching our dreams. Taking risks is what living is all about. It is about not allowing anyone to hold us back, including ourselves. It is about learning not to judge others from outward appearances. It is about being who we are meant to be. It is about sharing our talents and gifts with others. It is about living our dream. I hope this story will inspire all of us to live our dream. We only have one shot at life and we should not allow others to control our destiny. No matter where we are in this journey called life, each and every one of us has something to offer the world. Are you living your dream and if not does Ms Boyle's story inspire you to take the risk to do just that—live the dream? |
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