What in the world?!!! My jaw nearly hit the floor when I recently posted an inspirational video about Susan Boyle that racked up nearly 2,000 views overnight. After watching Susan’s inspiring audition on “Britain’s Got Talent,” I thought it would be a great topic for a motivational talk.
So I made the video with my Webcam and put it up on Youtube to share with my close friends and colleagues who are, like Susan, pursuing creative endeavors. To my great surprise, the views kept multiplying and within a week, I was up to 100,000! As of this writing, it has had nearly 180,000.
In the days after the posting, I received hundreds of messages from individuals around the globe about how much my video inspired them. At the same time, I got tons of hateful messages, criticizing everything from the way I look to my good intentions. It’s hard to believe that so many people get a kick out of knocking others down.
I decided the best way to deal with the negativity was to examine ways in which I could use it to motivate people to follow their true paths, no matter what obstacles they might encounter.. Every situation, whether good or bad, helps us to move forward and brings opportunities that assist us in fulfilling our purpose.
My greatest lesson in all the Youtube backlash was that despite my sincere desire to make a difference in the world, there are still plenty of people who are going to mock my efforts. Evil and jealousy are rampant and there’s no escaping it. Some humans are miserable and will do all they can to try to prevent others from succeeding.
Will that fact stop me from doing what I was born to do? No way!
I heard Susan Boyle say in a television interview that she has dealt with haters all of her life. Surely, she has cried buckets of tears over this and has been tempted to give up more than once.
But deep inside, she knew she had something special to offer and continued to believe a door would open one day for her to share her gift. Now, that steadfast belief has brought hope to millions far beyond what Susan could have ever imagined. In these times of global distress and uncertainty, the Scottish songbird has succeeded at the insurmountable task at making the world a much better place.
It’s true that the majority of us will never make such a big impact on society as a whole. But we can use our artistic talents to be a vessel of transformation everywhere we go. There’s monumental value in those seemingly small things, like performing for handicapped kids or singing a special song you wrote at a friend’s wedding.
As artists, we have been given something precious to share and must continue on the journey. Yes, some will definitely set out to throw us off course by making us feel unworthy. But it’s important that we remain strong and committed to our calling no matter how tough things become.
Susan Boyle has delivered a timely, multi-dimensional message we can cling to for strength and inspiration. And she deserves our gratitude for having the courage to be true to herself in the face of adversity. Her amazing gift to mankind will continue on through all of those who have been touched by her grace, beauty and unstoppable spirit.
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