Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
William Shakespeare
1564 – 1616

Prior to April 11, 2009, very few people had ever heard of Susan Boyle. On that Saturday evening, she appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, and in a matter of days, millions of people had viewed the YouTube video of her performance. Eventually, over one hundred and thirty million people saw it.

Why was the world so taken with “a middle aged, frumpish lady singing one song” on a talent search show? In the book Winning from Within, Erica Fox talks about why so many people felt such a strong connection to Susan Boyle. According to Ms. Fox, “I’d say it’s because Susan Boyle is both an ordinary woman and a timeless archetype. Don’t we all want people to look beyond our outer blemishes to discover our inner beauty and hidden gifts?”

I agree with Ms. Fox; we all have a secret desire for the world to magically discover our hidden talents. We know deep down that there’s something unique about us, and if we only had the chance to really show our talents, the world would appreciate us. We could suddenly be somebody.

It’s easy to assume that Susan Boyle was an overnight success — and to think that if the stars align just right, we can enjoy the same level of recognition. However, the truth is somewhat different.

Ms. Boyle was not an overnight success; she actually spent years and years developing her singing talent. She certainly has a good voice, but having innate talent isn’t enough. There are countless people with great voices who lack the commitment to train and practice until they can get on stage before a live audience and perform at a professional level.

Moreover, Susan Boyle was willing to take a chance. There was no guarantee that her performance would go well or that the judges would appreciate her; she could have failed miserably. But she tried, despite the risk of failure and embarrassment. Most of us will never be “discovered” because we’re afraid to put ourselves on stage for a real audience to judge.

If you want your skills to be recognized, devote time to developing your talents and share them with others. If you never audition on the stage of life, you’ll never be discovered.

Fear is sharp sighted, and can see things underground, and much more in the skies.
Miguel de Cervantes
1547 – 1616

Copyright © 2013 John Chancellor