Skip to main content

Better The Devil


Well it's a new day and a new appreciation post. 

I can't tell you how much the one about David - the one I was reluctant to share - has affected so many people from my Facebook friends list they reached out to me about the post. 

It reached people in ways I never expected, and in ways some of the people reaching out never expected.  So once again David's actions had a profoundly positive effect. Thanks again David and thanks to all those who reached out to me about it. 

As promised though, here is something a little lighter than my previous two posts. 

This coming Saturday is Eurovision. 28 years ago it was held on the 19th of May, the day after my birthday, and it gave me one of the best presents I have ever had. 

Sonia Evans was our representative for the UK. For those of you that don't know, Sonia was signed to PWL records and was produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman.  Just like Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley. And if you don't know who they are then I will be of no help to you. 

In all intents and purposes Sonia was a down-to-earth, bubbly and giggling girl next door. She wasn't what we referred to as larger than life and she wasn't conceited about her success either. She was just one of us. This grabbed my attention. 

I had always thought that to be in a position like that you needed to be larger than life, you needed to be this big character, super confident, maybe even arrogant but she wasn't. 

I had always dreamed of being on stage or acting in film but I was too scared and ashamed to tell anyone about that, so I kept it to myself. 

But here was Sonia, A normal everyday person doing exactly the kind of thing that I wanted to do. Sounds corny but it gave me hope. 

I followed her progression over the week leading up to the competition, thanks mostly to BBC Radio, as we didn't have social media back then. 

She inspired me so much that on the 19th May 1993, I made my decision to chase my dreams, and I have been chasing them, and catching them, ever since. 

So thank you Sonia Evans, you gave me the courage I needed to be honest and go for it. You also taught me that I didn't have to wait until I was "larger than life" or "good enough" and that I was already good enough in that moment.

Actually I wasn't totally good enough, I still had to teach myself to sing first, but you get my point. 

If you want something, go for it. Don't wait. The only right time is now. You ARE good enough already!

I'm setting the challenge for you all to lean into your vulnerability and give appreciation to someone else, if this is something you feel you cannot do but want to! And I am seeing this happen everyday now 🙂

Have a great day and I'll be back with another name soon x




Photo by Andrew Hurley 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewhurley/14521336706/in/album-72157645450365815/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TSgt (Ret.) James M. Adams Jr

Today's post is dedicated to TSgt (Ret.) James M. Adams Jr.  My dad.  For many different reasons we didn't really spend as much time together as we should have or could have done, and even though he wasn't physically in my life for much of it, I learned a great deal from him.  He was a bit of a Marmite character - you either loved him or hated him, and he appeared not to care about that, but appearences can be deceptive! I never really heard many good things about him - I mean he was no angel - but when I went back to Texas in '99, I got to know him a little better.  To my surprise, so many people loved and respected him. All of them in fact, apart from my Mom's best friend from when when lived there. This was all new to me and I found it a little hard to believe. I mean I knew my Dad right? Apparently I didn't! It seemed that despite his quirks and shortcomings (and sometimes his cruelty), he was (like it says on his father's grave) a friend to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

15

 Trigger Alert! This appreciation post is slightly different, but a lot darker, and a lot longer so strap yourselves in. Be warned there's talk of suicide! Facebook may jail me for this. As I said before, I had been bullied. A lot. Both on the outside from others but also on the inside, from me, echoing what the others had said. I also found other stuff to beat myself up about.  I felt unloved, unwanted, hated in fact. I loathed myself.  I was angry that I did or was the thing that bullies would make a beeline for. I would then hate on myself for being weak and not standing up for myself!  It was a constant cycle.  I avoided places I knew the bullies would be. I'd plan out my routes home so I knew I wouldn't cross paths with any one of them.  It was years before I could walk up to the shop at the top of my road because one kid would see me and come out of his house each and every time just to threaten me or intimidate me, so I would take the long way round ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Descartes got it wrong!

It is said that what you give out, you get back in the same form. Many of you will know this by its name. Karma.  Everything I say here is not new to me, but something I am remembering everyday. I am back on a journey that I began nearly 30 years ago. In fact, come to think of it, I don't think I ever left this journey, I just stopped a little longer at places en route. I've been working on re-knowing who I am, not the external me but the internal me. Not the ego but the essence of who I truly am.  Don't panic! I'm not about to sell you a religion! I'm merely telling you of my experience at this present time. What you do with the information is up to you, and quite frankly, none of my business.  I have been re-learning. Working on myself to be a person who does good things. A better person. The best person I can possibly be and a better person than who I was yesterday. To feel the fear and do it anyway. To lean in to my vulnerability, and to leave the wo...
Post a Comment
Read more