The gangly man loped onto the stage and hooked me. The judges, one being Simon Cowell, dis’ed the geeky wanna-be singer. The audience laughed at him, and I smirked while thinking, “Oh, sure, 3 million viewers watched this You Tube video because it must be pathetic.” I was no more prepared for the amazing performance than anyone witnessing it live.
Wonder! Complete wonder filled me during the four hours I watched the most improbable and unlikely winners of various talent contests raise the roof on the auditoriums, shock the judges into smiles and praise, and delight thousands to millions of viewers like myself on the World Wide Web. No kidding, each performance filled me with more wonder.
I saw people, from age six to more than sixty, from employed warehouse workers to unemployed chicken catchers, from an autistic agoraphobic who never left home to an obese teenager silenced by crushed self-esteem. Diverse people, beautiful people, all realizing their amazing dreams.
Their common denominator was courage to follow their dreams despite their greatest fears. Their first performances were perfect. I watched subsequent acts as they progressed in the competitions, but none (for me) ever achieved the astounding first performances when they gave it their all.
I awoke the next morning so grateful, alive, and inspired, despite the few hours I slept after pealing myself away from the computer at one in the morning. (I usually wilt around 9 pm.) I’ve had many days lately that I’ve been so grateful for how my life and career are going, but I don’t recall feeling this much awe or the magnitude of inspiration by and admiration for these people.
Below I’m sending links to the a few that still stood out in my head and heart a day after I watched the first one. If you’re intrigued, or just wondering what’d keep me up FOUR hours past my nightly expiration time, watch them. If you’re like me, you’ll watch any of the videos that come up with 300,000 to 28 million viewings. How cool to find so many videos that lifted me up, and energized me.
I believe that in the future when I’m down and uninspired, or when I’m just out of sorts, I’ll search for similar videos on You Tube. I know they’ll help me see once again how blessed my life is, and spur me on so nothing stands in the way of my dreams.
I hope you get chills running through you, and maybe tears as well. Mostly, I hope you’re filled with wonder. Will you wonder, like me, how it would be to live bold and free?
For pure wonder and the simple fun of it, check these out:
Getting up in age, but dances with childlike abandon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAqnA2b5jy0&feature=related
Six-year old child with . . . as Simon Cowell says . . . perfect pitch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ3zNb6ryhE
Warehouse working by day & delivers Pizza by night—what “complete” feels like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIe94Zmpxi0
Young man self-sequestered in his own home from autism, released through faith and music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt5egjZ9ISI&feature=related
Two teenagers with dreams, shattered confidence, & selfless giving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt3Utn4mjeg&feature=related
Lighthouse Coaching and Retreats 