I love Cinderella stories; you know, the ones where an underdog makes it big in some way. Watching Dancing with the Stars last night, one of those emerged that I think those who own businesses, or want to, can take a lesson from.
The second runner-up was Lindsey Sterling, a violin player who combines movement and dance in her act. What is really compelling is her story of how she became an ‘act.’ She said that she wanted to be a dancer but also liked to play the violin; her parents couldn’t pay for both so she stayed with the violin. But, as she got into her teen years, she fell into a depressive state and had an eating disorder; she gave up playing the violin.
But, once she got healthy, she picked it back up again and decided to add movement while playing. She auditioned for America’s Got Talent but was told she wasn’t good enough, and that her act would not attract people; a judge said her act was too ‘out there.’ She felt very discouraged.
However, she said that she remembered YouTube and decided to leap into making a video of her playing, which was quite a production, and gained over 200,000 views on her first one. Thus, a star was born. She puts on shows all over the world and now, Dancing with the Stars, which she almost won.
I think there are some lessons in here that we all can use:
- while life is not always kind, and there will be challenges, you can always pick yourself up and move on
- people will criticize and reject you but it’s what you think that matters the most; Lindsey said that she had to learn to love herself first before she could love others, which included her violin
- you can make lemonade out of lemons, just as Lindsey did; when she was told ‘no’ on the big stage, she went and created a video her way. She did not allow a rejection to keep her down
- being true to who you are will attract people to you; Lindsey embraced her ‘quirkiness,’ of which millions of people find attractive, paying to buy here CD’s and attend her shows
I have to admit that I’ve never heard of Lindsey Sterling until recent weeks, as she was not on the radar for me as a dancer; but, the more time went on, the better she got and her performances were over the top. When she related her story, I became a fan. Her story is inspiring and shows that following your own path can lead to greatness.
Committed to Your Success Coaching & Consulting focuses on workplace happiness and organizational success. If you need help gaining clarity on your business or career goals, why not get some help – stop the struggle and call today to get started! https://www.cyscoaching.com or barbara@cyscoaching.com. Visit our other blog at https://cysoaching .com or https://allaboutcareersites.com
