What Have You Done Lately to Pursue Your Dreams?

I don't generally watch shows like American Idol, and I don't like opera very much, but I love seeing someone pursue their dreams, and I love it even more when they achieve them. So when I came across this video of 36 year old British mobile phone salesman Paul Potts' appearance on the "Britain's Got Talent" TV Show, I was mesmerized.

This clip is a little over a year old, so I apologize if this is old news to you. And Paul is not a boomer, either, although he is the type of underdog character that almost everyone loves to root for. You can easily see by the reaction of the judges, when Paul tells them what he's going to do, that their expectations are VERY low.

But then, a miracle happens. Paul begins to sing, the audience is transfixed, then moved to tears, and the audience erupts by the time he's finished. If you love the underdog as much as I do, you'll be fighting back tears. And no doubt you'll also want to see how it all turns out in this clip of his performance in the semifinals, where he describes how he was picked on as a little boy and how he lacks self-confidence. And if that's not enough, just search on his name and you can see his appearances on Oprah, the Today Show, etc.

The underdog subplot alone would make this story interesting. But the other inspiring aspect of this story is that Paul was laboring away at a humdrum sales job, with all this talent "hidden under a bushel." And that's the part that makes this story Platinum-worthy. Because I wonder how many of you are like Paul, toiling away in obscurity at some job you hate, having never even tried to break away.

I wonder how hard it was for Paul, with his low self esteem, to step out and expose his talents to the world. I'm sure he thought he wasn't good enough, just as beautiful people always seem to think they're ugly, and immensely talented people often think, "Anybody can do that."

Watching a video like that, welling up with emotion, makes me realize that I'm on track in pursuing my own passion, "helping you get the best out of the rest of your life." I'm glad I stepped out in faith a bit and started this blog. It was a small step, to be sure, but so many people don't ever even try. And as I always say, the nursing homes are full of those people. Remember from our last two blogs, it's not the failures or mistakes you'll regret. It's the roads not traveled and the opportunities not taken.

Unlike Paul, many of us (boomers that is) have the advantage of careers that are winding down, and some trailblazing resources like RebootYou and encore.org to help us out.

So what's YOUR passion? What step, however small, have you taken to pursue it? I'm rooting for you. - Bob

Comments

Susanne Bacchetta said…
Thanks Bob!!
And good luck, God Speed to you and your dreams.....May they all come true.
Paul Potts is the greatest. I love to hear him sin. What an inspiration.
Susanne South Carolina USA
June 23, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Anonymous said…
Thanks Susanne:

I can only hope that you meant "sing" :-) Bob
July 2, 2008 at 11:38 PM
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