April 15, 2009

If you haven’t yet listened to Susan Boyle’s incredible performance, I urge you to do so. You are missing out on a source of profound magic.

And after you have listened, ask yourself how you felt when she sang. What emotions did it bring out in you?

Why do you think you felt that way?

What did you think when you first saw ther? Did you think this plain, middle-aged woman who had never been kissed, who lived with her cat, was a cliché for “loser?”

After her performance and she walked offstage, she was told that she’d been given the biggest “YES!” in the history of the show. Susan’s response was, “Oh my God! Oh my God!”

What were you feeling then?

Picture yourself in that scene. Can you feel the pure elation?

Like the spectators in the video, I felt an initial skepticism by Susan’s outward appearance. However, when she began to sing, my opinion of her changed instantly.

Similarly when I listened to paraplegic triathlete Trish Downing talk about her accomplishments, I no longer noticed her wheelchair.

The same was true for my opinion of myself and my opinion of life when I had my mystical experience during Sammy Hagar’s concert. The moment my heart was opened, my life changed instantly. And like Susan’s beautiful voice and Trish’s beautiful spirit, I saw something beautiful in myself—things I’d never given myself credit for or permission for. I also saw clearly, the beauty in all of life.

Susan Boyle’s voice has enriched me. I don’t think she would have been such a sensation if she had been an attractive young girl in a designer dress. Her drab appearance was part of her charm. As she sang, it brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat. If she hadn’t given herself permission to be herself, to get up onstage and share her remarkable talent, my life would be diminished. I wouldn’t even have realized that the light she’d had to share was missing.

We all have a talent like this. It is the key to self-realization. And it brings with it, the same joy Susan experienced that day. The same joy we felt when she sang.

We are awaiting your song.