Home
>
Success
>
Liberating Success Lessons from Singing - If It Is Rubbish, It Is Rubbish; If It Is Not, It is Not

Liberating Success Lessons from Singing - If It Is Rubbish, It Is Rubbish; If It Is Not, It is Not

Reggie Yates, a pop song presenter, was singing on 7th March 2005 at the UK Fame Academy for Comic Relief a charity that helps people in Africa and the UK. He is probably the worst singer in the group but has managed to survive to the last stages of the competition.

Following a key principle of evolution, the weakest singer gets slung out at the end of each day. Reggie has survived for several days even though he can't sing for toffee. Having been expelled from a choir at the age of eight I can relate to him and his lack of confidence and inability to sing. Gradually, however, his confidence is growing as he keeps being voted in. As his confidence grows, his tuning improves.

While he practised his song for Monday March 7th, Carrie Grant, the voice coach reassured Reggie that he was hitting the notes spot on. She commented:

"It just goes to show you that so much of singing is about confidence and what you are learning in here is building something in you because that is so much more in tune"

"Yes, it's getting better isn't it?" Reggie agreed.

Before his evening performance, Reggie had had his hair died red because he had allowed two goals in during an indoor game of soccer. He had agreed to pay a forfeit and his companions chose red hair. Reggie, being a man of his word, paid the forfeit and appeared on stage with close cropped red hair.

"Do you think it's going to improve your singing tonight" asked Cat the presenter.

"No-o!" replied Reggie emphatically. The audience laughed.

"But this performance is going to be all about having fun isn't it?" asked Cat.

"Yeah, man, I've had enough of being emotional and getting worried about songs. I'm going to try and enjoy it. And If it's rubbish, it's rubbish and if it's not it's not ".

Reggie sang a song of celebration and joy - 'Dancing on the ceiling' The words suited his mood of confidence and fun:

"What is happening here? Something going on It's not quite clear. Somebody turn on the lights We're going to have a party and its starting tonight

Oh oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling Oh oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling

So come on let's get loose. Don't hold back cause it ain't no use Got to keep your feet on the ground, because when we like to party We only want to get down

Oh oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling Oh oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling Oh oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling Oh oh what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling."

Reggie danced about the stage without a care in the world and sang with more confidence than ever before. Some of his singing was in tune! The audience gave him a rapturous reception.

One of the judges, Craig, gave his verdict: "Confidence and movement was great. The only thing I didn't like was the hair and the voice!"

Carrie Grant, the voice coach was laughing: " I noticed that the judges were bending down to listen closely to their monitors because they are not quite sure now whether you are out of tune or not. A couple of days ago they knew you were out of tune. Now they are not sure and that's good!"

I once played in a pop band where the singer was not always in tune but he sang with such confidence that everyone in the audience assumed that he was. The confident can get away with blue murder.

The secret to Reggie's success was his detachment from how good his performance would be: "If it's rubbish, it's rubbish and if it's not it's not".

Having accepted that his performance might be rubbish, he was free to go ahead and give it his best shot. This is a key success lesson in any activity.

Perfectionists become tense and anxious and sometimes do less than their best - those who are willing to work hard but to accept that they have much to learn can relax and let the chips fall where they may.

In the end Reggie's performance was a mixture of rubbish (weak singing) and not rubbish (movement and cheerful confidence) The audience loved it and they loved Reggie himself.The judges were left wondering! Reggie had successfully focused on his strengths and had successfully entertained the audience.

Growing confidence, focusing on one's strengths, accepting the possiblity of the worst outcome in advance and a cheeful, devil-may-care attitude, can be truly liberating and empowering. Reggie is still in the competition and is still dancing on the ceiling!

Resource box

John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams. They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.

The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now!" The book can be found at this URL http://www.motivationtoday.com

You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine so long as you do not alter it and keep the resource box as it is.

reliable maid service Winnetka ...

In The News:

Lyft rolled out safety upgrades with a new Safety Hub, driver blocking capability and a favorite driver option to give riders more control over their experience.

New research shows Americans increasingly trust AI for wellness guidance over social media, with 63% finding artificial intelligence reliable for health.

Luxury fashion brand Dior experienced a January 2025 data breach affecting customer personal information, and notifications were sent months after the discovery.

The commercial Unitree H1 humanoid robot weighs 104 pounds with 365 pound-feet torque per joint and demonstrates dangerous potential when software glitches occur.

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.