Adventures in Being

When Paul Potts stepped onstage for his competition on Britain's Got Talent (U.K. Version of America's Got Talent) he was met with open scorn by the judges. When he told them that he planned to sing opera, he practically sealed his coffin before he opened his mouth.

Moments later, however, the story changed completely. Paul's voice was so powerful, touching, and inspiring, that within seconds the judges' jaws dropped and one even came to tears. The eclectic audience was spellbound and quickly rose to their feet. By the time Paul finished his selection, the applause was deafening and the judges were as impressed by the audience reaction as Paul's performance.

Paul returned for semi-finals, blew the judges and audience away again, and went on to win the overall competition. Copy and paste to see Paul Potts' video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

Paul was a humble cell phone warehouse manager, shy and boylike. His appearance, slightly paunchy and with a crooked tooth, was not one of a celebrity. Yet he did have two things going for him that netted him the grand prize: real talent and a huge heart.

I found it compelling that while most of the people in the audience were not opera fans (and, who knows, maybe didn't even like opera) and the judges were actively resistant, something in all of these people recognized the greatness before them. They were won over by the truth.

You, too, bear and embody greatness that will win over those you touch, and yield the success you desire. (Overnight Paul Potts became an international celebrity and received major tour and recording contracts.) But you must trust your greatness, stand behind it, and express it. How sad if Paul stayed in his cell phone warehouse because most people don't like opera and he might have made a fool of himself on national TV? Instead, he found the courage to step forward and let the universe take care of the details.

You don't have to fight to get people's attention or to get them to acknowledge you. If you are struggling with these issues, you have taken a detour from the thoroughfare already paved for you. You simply have to (as Emerson described) "release the imprisoned splendor." Everyone in the world holds imprisoned splendor -- no exceptions. Just a small portion recognize it in themselves or others. If you are reading this email, you are in that small or portion or close to it.

One more piece: It's never worth arguing over your talents. Those who do not recognize them cannot be convinced, and those who do recognize them do not need to be convinced. Just let it rip. The more you have to prove to anyone how good you are at anything, the more you are wasting your time. Henry J. Kaiser noted, "When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."

I have been fantasizing about what kind of world it would be if everyone unleashed their true gifts. Perhaps if those you who read this email began to do just that, the world would be much closer to heaven.
*Thank you My Love for sharing and always encouraging our family to Embrace the Greatness our Abba Daddy gave us as well as to encourage and love others with it. I love you.