Believe in Your DreamsWhen you believe in your dreams, even sometimes when you’re not quite sure, but you take steps toward them, they will come true. In the classic tale, The Wizard of Oz, the great Oz seemingly gives the scarecrow, the lion, and the tin man the things they want most. The scarecrow is awarded a diploma for his intelligence. The cowardly Lion receives a medal of courage, and the tin man receives a heart shaped watch that represents his feelings. When they receive these gifts, they feel transformed. You already have what you needWhen the Great Oz is exposed to be only a man behind the curtain, he tells them that they already had what they needed all along. Their belief that they had these things was what created their transformation. “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Sometimes you have to begin againYou may have heard the story of Paul Potts, an unassuming cell phone salesman from Wales, who had almost given up on his dreams and let the flip of a coin decide his fate. Paul is an incredible Tenor with a voice that makes grown men cry. His album, One Chance, is rated number one in over 13 countries. He first sang opera at 28 at a karaoke event dressed as Pavarotti. He appeared on a show called My Kind of Music where he won the consolation prize of 8,000 £. He spent his prize money on singing lessons in Italy. He appeared in four productions for the Bath Opera Company and preformed with the Royal Philharmonic. He toured Italy for 3 months as a soloist while continuing his training. These unpaid performances were investments in his career. In an unfortunate string of events, he had appendicitis, a benign tumor, and broke his collar bone in a bike accident. After spending about 20,000 £ on his music career, he ended up in debt and on the couch in pain, recovering from his injury. About 4 years later, on June 9, 2007, there was a televised audition for “Britain’s Got Talent” competition, which is similar to the US show American Idol. Paul had lost his confidence and wasn’t sure whether he should even enter the competition. He flipped a coin to decide. And his wife encouraged him to enter. As he stood on the stage before the judges and Simon Cowell the one who is ruthlessly honest with contestants on American Idol, they looked skeptical when he said he would be singing opera. But it only took moments to hear the beauty of his voice to mesmerize the judges and the audience. One of the judges cried as he sang. The crowd of 2,000 people gave him a standing ovation. At the end of his final performance, Simon Cowell told him to quit his day job and gave him a 2 million dollar record contract. Now he has performed on Oprah, the Today show, and for the Queen. There are many lessons from Paul Pott’s remarkable story. One is if you have a desire to do something, begin it. Even if you don’t believe you can, begin anyway. For more great articles and resources, sign up for Creative Inspiration. For more articles visit these pages: |