The Human Spirit

Within each of us, greatness resides.

If you are one of the 25 million or so who have viewed the YouTube video of Susan Boyle's amazing performance on the show Britain's Got Talent, you know that she is living proof. When this unassuming, frumpy, and quirky middle aged woman from a village in Scotland walked out onto the stage, she walked into the hearts of viewers all over the world. The judges and the audience believed that they were in for a terrible joke of a performance. Yet, when she opened her mouth and sang, we all got goosebumps. Her choice of song was so perfect - I Have a Dream - from Les Miserables.

So, today my question is, how do we recognize and tap into the talent, gifts, promises that have been given us? Oprah (she doesn't even need a last name, does she?) and I have a lot in common; we are close in age, we're both female, both intelligent, love to read, enjoy talking, like to figure out what makes people tick. Yet, look at how different we are! Hmmm...

I believe that God did not plan for me to live my life as an ordinary, plain, generic version of myself. I also believe that within me resides something greater, but I'm not even sure where to begin looking. I was in high school and college in the sixties. The Vietnam War was at its peak and the world was in upheaval. Many of my hippie friends dropped out to "find themselves". Well, one thing I do know is that whereever you go, there you are. I don't need to be on an acid trip or in a commune to be me. And yet, I was telling a friend the other day that "just being me" is a huge challenge, because I am constantly struggling to define who "me" is!

Like blue eyes, red hair, fair skin, each of us has been gifted with special abilities and talents. There are folks out there making a fortune writing books, self-help tapes, and more for folks like me. People are spending countless hours trying to develop their spirituality...that essence of who we are that connects us to God and the universe.

Is there a "one size fits all" formula for this? No. I think one thing that makes the difference is an unwaivering belief in self. Greatness doesn't just happen - it is cultivated. People who have successfully tapped into their gifts will tell you that they never doubted themselves. They totally believed that they would win, achieve, succeed, invent, become. Recently I watched a biography of Oprah. One scene stands out in my mind. She often talks about her grandmother. She recalled how her grandmother was attempting to show her how to wash clothes. My "aha" moment came when Oprah said she wasn't paying any attention because somehow, deep within herself, even at the age of four, she knew she would not need to know that.

So there's the rub. It begins with belief. I have spent a lifetime doubting myself. I doubt my intelligence, my worthiness, my appearance, my skill. I have been a chameleon - being and doing what others expect of me. My challenge now is not to develop my talent, but to believe that it is already there.