If you haven’t heard of Susan Boyle, you aren’t alone…at least as of last week.
This video is a must see (7:05 minutes). Susan is a contestant on the British talent show “Britain’s Got Talent”. She performed on April 11, 2009 and her performance has become a global sensation with millions of online views in just one week.
Beyond her stunning talent, the thing I LOVED MOST about her performance is how easy it was for the audience (and yes, I’m guilty as charged) to make assumptions beforehand about who she was and what she was (or wasn’t) capable of. In her completely unassuming, down-to-earth and quirky way, she dared to come forward before the world and absolutely shatter those assumptions in seconds.
But the key thing is that she DARED to allow her brilliant talent to be expressed without holding back in any way. Listen to the things she says in her preliminary comments and consider the enormity of the situation she put herself in. And look at the impact it had!!! She overcame the cynics immediately, connected the show’s audience together in undeniably exuberant support, and to the world with millions of online views…
Susan really personifies the essence of what Connected In Community is about. She is an everyday person who DARES to express her special gift with the world without apology, hesitation or reserve. She dares to let it SHINE brightly, and look at the shockwaves it can create when we trust it, express it and let it go.
She reminds me yet again how important it is to look expectantly for the gifts in others, no matter how difficult they may be to see at first, sometimes well hidden. But they are absolutely there and it is all too easy to form assumptions, to become cynical and to miss them altogether.
Never forget that the person standing in front of you has gifts that are truly unique and incredible, and just as importantly, remember that this includes the person looking back at you in the mirror.
The world needs all of these gifts to be expressed fully and without hesitation. That is why they were given to us in the first place.
Holding back on our own gifts out of fear, modesty, or any of the other myriad justifications we can come up with robs our communities and the world of the essential gifts we each have to offer.
How are you holding back on us with your unique gifts? Be honest. What unimaginably positive impact might you have if you truly dared to bring your own gifts onto your own “stage” and just let them flow as Susan Boyle dared to do with hers?
Examples like Susan’s fill me with inspiration and hope about what is possible if we only let it happen. Dear friend, let it happen. Bring to us all what we so desperately need from you…all of you, fully expressed.
We need more leaders like Susan who confidently drive their stake in the ground and deliver everything they’ve got to achieve it, despite the many doubting Thomases who say it’s not possible. Prove them all wrong like Susan did. Susan, thank you deeply for daring and reminding us to do the same!
