She's not just a Pretty Face

You recognize Susan Boyle, from Britain's Got Talent, right? Her first performance on the show April 11, 2009 propelled the singer to worldwide stardom, and the video of the performance is the most watched video in You Tube history.

When watching the video from start to finish, one can take away a few lessons from Susan's experience.

The most obvious lesson in Susan's experience on the show is, of course, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Susan does not look like a superstar with a powerful voice. She looked fine for a woman in a tiny village in Scotland, but she did not look like a star. In fact, the audience laughed at her when she came on stage, and the judges sneered when she said she wanted a career like Elaine Page's. A minute later, the audience and judges were laughing at themselves and knew she had taught them a lesson about judging others.

In spite of how she was greeted upon entering the stage, Susan Boyle remained confident in herself. She may have been a little nervous in the spotlight, but clearly she retained her self-confidence. A second lesson for us all: Don't let someone else, even millions of them, break your spirit. You have a special gift, just as Susan does. When you know what it is, do not let anyone else steal it from you or diminish it in your own eyes. Susan was able to share her talent because she knew she had it inside. Do the same.

One of the most powerful lessons of this experience came during the judges' comments.

Cameras show the three judges smiling and happy for Susan throughout her performance. The first judge gushed all over the place when it was his turn to comment. It was the second judge, Amanda Holden, who had the most startling comment of all and taught the most important lesson of the performance.

Amanda spoke about the crowd being against Susan at first but being privileged to hear the performance. She said, "It was a privilege to listen to you." Wow, there's a lesson for us!

What if we all felt privileged to share each other's strengths? What if we all look beyond our initial judgements of others and look for their gifts instead? What if we all seek goodness in others? What would happen to our relationships? workplaces? homes? schools? country?

See beyond the outside, the obvious first lesson Susan taught us, but not just to tolerate others but to feel privileged to know them. That lesson is more challenging yet also more life-altering.

Susan Boyle is not just a pretty face, and neither is Amanda Holden. Both taught the world important lessons. Let's not miss them.