Two singing sensations came out of a competition singing show in the UK that have always stuck with me.

Susan Boyle and Paul Potts.

Now, I don't usually watch any reality show or singing talent show competition. I'm sure it's very fascinating format, emotionally involving people rooting for their favorite. Humans root for their team (as I write this on Superbowl Sunday 2023) whether a favorite fighter in the ring, a team on the field or a singer on the stage.

Humans particularly like the ‘underdog’ which is defined by Merriam-Webster as (1) a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest, or (2) a victim of injustice or persecution. We root for the little guy, the person who has a dream - but few connections, financial resources and avenues - but shiploads of enthusiasm and intense desire.

They had very strong emotional centers about their Goal, embodying a laser like focus with a simple direct premise: Sing.

Paul Potts worked at a mobile phone sales company when competing on the show. When you watch the Paul Potts video (194 Million views), he says: “Confidence is a difficult thing for me. I have always had it difficult being completely confident in myself.”

Welcome to the Club, Paul. And that Club is virtually every single human on the planet. At least, the humans with enough self-reflection on their behavior to plod on despite a certain humanity. This Club does not include supreme egoists (hello Hollywood! and other areas) who believes in themselves so much that their abysmal behavior is completely excused by themselves as being in accord with their “deserved status.” I think that there is a difference between a healthy Ego and an out-of-control Ego along with the Id and Superego.

But not Paul Potts. When you watch the video in his singing of the opera aria “Nessun dorma,” you can feel the emotional intensity of the words. I do not speak Italian though my four years of high-school Latin helps me read the Romance languages. Here is the context for his singing:

"Nessun dorma" (Italian: [nesˌsun ˈdɔrma]; English: "Let no one sleep")[1] is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot (text by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni) and one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto (the unknown prince), who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot. Any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles; if he fails, he will be beheaded. In the aria, Calaf expresses his triumphant assurance that he will win the princess. Source: Wikipedia

Here’s the Key: You may have no understanding of the words in the music. Probably neither do the judges nor the audience. But they understand the human emotion. The rising hope and belief of a man’s victory to the woman he loves.

Simple. Direct. Sing.

Of course, both Susan and Paul’s simple direct premise of “Sing” had other manifestations too. They probably wanted to ‘make a living’ as a singer, gain recognition and receive acclaim for their Gift. That’s all good.

KISS Principle

But I think that their Journey really propelled them with “Keep It Simple Stupid.” I first learned this saying in film school because a director might, on the first day of a film shoot, might set up an overly complicated dolly shoot with intricate actor and camera movement referred to as mise-en-scene. Waaaaaaaaay too much on the first day when the crew doesn’t really know each other’s names. The filmmaking mechanism of the crew is still too new and not a finely tuned structure whereby the compilation of personality, technique and outlook come together in a great collaborative environment.

So time-honored advice is to “Keep It Simple Stupid” when figuring out how to shoot and what to plan.

Susan Boyle was on “Britain’s Got Talent” where her song of choice, prophetically, was “I Dreamed a Dream.” The Youtube video alone of this stunning performance has 25 million views. “I Dreamed a Dream” was sung by Fantine in the musical version of “Les Miserables.” Fantine has been thrown out into the street, starving, into a life of prostitution. The title of the musical and book is “Les Miserables.” The book, written by one of my personal writing heroes Victor Hugo (who lies in the Pantheon in Paris who I have visited on numerous occasions) is one of the greatest novels written in the 19th century. Hugo also wrote “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with such a powerful description and glory to Notre Dame Cathedral that the structure taken by French Revolutionaries was restored to its former iconic glory.

In the 1790s, during the French Revolution, Notre-Dame suffered extensive desecration; much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In the 19th century, the coronation of Napoleon I and the funerals of many of the French Republic's presidents took place at the cathedral.

The 1831 publication of Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) inspired popular interest in the cathedral, which led to a major restoration project between 1844 and 1864, supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Source: Wikpedia

Words, whether sung or written, have magnetic power. The Power of Intention. Your own Words, written down, will have enormous power for you in this manner.

This is the power of not only words - and the words we tell ourselves - but of our Human Emotions generating the unique power of Humans to not only believe in a goal, but create the goal in our mind’s eye and bring it in fruition.

What is a Goal but our own projection of a desire into the future?

We are Conjurers of our own Fate.

IF. WE. BELIEVE.

So, watch the video of Susan Boyle and Paul Potts.

You can see her discomfort here on stage where she has her chance, her opportunity, her moment to do and perform what she herself believes in about herself. Singing and the Will to Sing. She cannot even remember the word for ‘village’ because she is probably so nervous up on stage.

We expect the usual Scowl of Cowell and the dismissive looks of the other panelists. The audience smirks and mocks when Susan says that she’d like to sing with musical theater icon Elaine Paige.

But then…she sings. Enthralling. Stunning. Mesmerizing.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage,” said Lao Tzu. Perhaps loving ‘something’ (your goal) deeply gives you courage. An Emotional connective state.

As one judge, Piers, notes: “We were all laughing at you, but nobody is laughing now.” Even if you are not a singer (I’m not) nor a performer, then what can you learn about this video as great Takeaways?

Your Equation for Courage

Strong Emotion + Words + Action

Combine the strong inner desire for your goals. This strong emotion should have conviction, feeling, intensity, desire and a ‘take-no-prisoners’ approach. By this last note - ‘take-no-prisoners’ approach - I mean a ‘get out of my way I’m doing this” intensity.

Let that heat up. Let that percolate. Let it boil.

Now add in Words. Write down what you want, when you want it, how much, etc., Be specific. Put down a date.

Action. Here’s where you make up a long list of Opportunities, Options, Outlandish Ideas and more. Brainstorm. Write down really stupid, crazy stuff - because crazy out of the box thinking often leads to genuine innovative, entrepreneurial actionable directions.

Key Takeaways

1. Create a Simple Direct Goal: “Get up on stage and sing.” This direct and simple goal is a mantra, a motto, a slogan and your projected future.

2. “Courage” is an emotional state not a logical one. Nobody charges up the hill toward a machine gun thinking logically. You do it for your buddies, your unit and yourself. To me, Courage is acting despite the fear. Embracing the fear and letting it pass through and then pressing forward with will and enthusiasm.

3. Realize that the Simple Direct Goal wipes away, ignores and subordinates all the B.S. conditions humans throw onto our goals so that we have a reason, an excuse, an ‘out’ to not achieving them. You are not saying “Get up on stage and sing when this and this…”

4. The Goal is tied to strong and distinct human emotions. In fact, powerful and impactful singing must involve strong emotions to resonate with our inner core, heart and being. Why should your goal be any different? Your Goal can be anything, but Simple + Emotion = Momentum into a New Future

5. By cultivating and nurturing a Simple Direct Goal + Emotion, you will run into obstacles, conditions, needs, family members who tell that your dream is impossible, and more… Here’s what will surprise you. Many times, we attach so much weight to a condition, anticipated obstacle or a ‘trusted advisor’s objection - and then when this component is confronted by actual action and effort - the darn barricade dissolves, disappears or we jump over it. And keep going.

We may be the David. Our Dream is Goliath, a towering giant (some accounts talk about six feet-nine inches tall or nine feet tall) who had skill, massive armor, physical strength and a dominating presence.

Yet David felled Goliath with the ingenuity of a) getting rid of traditional armor - mobility b) use the power of new weapons (resources) in his slingshot, practiced protecting his sheep and finally c) cutting off the head of the huge Goliath for the finality of victory.

Look at your Goliath straight in the eye.

Discover your own slingshot.

Take Aim.

Sing.