The Best Opportunites are not always FREE!!!!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to audition for America's Got Talent. It was so much fun and always when its all over I can appreciate the stretching of my comfort level a lot better than in the moment.

2 years ago my husband and I happened to be in Chicago around the time when AGT was auditioning. So we stood in line with the rests of the thousands and waited in the freezing cold for 8 hours before we were let in to wait another 3 hours. I think we got there around 8am and I didn't even audition until 8pm. What a supportive husband right! Well obviously nothing came of that audition, except personal growth ;0)!  I left there kind of justifying that I didn't make it because I didn't have a big enough sob story for TV, or if you think I was tired, think about the judges who'd seen thousands of acts before me, and on and on. Talk about limiting self talk! But I started looking around for more opportunities.

In the last 2 years I've had a couple of awesome opportunities come my way, 1. for the last 2 summers I have been able to represent the USA  competing in the World Championships of Performing Arts (www.wcopa.com) an international Olympic style competition for all the performing arts. I competed in Modeling, acting, and singing and walked away with 11 medals and a Grand Champion Plaque for Senior Division Spokes model.   2. I just completed recording my very first country album with all of my own songs. I spent 3 weeks in Nashville rubbing shoulders with awesome songwriters, musicians, and a fantastic producer and am now anxiously awaiting the final product.

Both of these opportunities contributed to my growth. The competition pushed me harder than I've ever pushed my self before, not only physically to get in shape, but to try new things like acting, and vocally my voice is so different than it was 2 years ago its amazing! The work I did for the competition got me ready for the opportunity of Nashville. But mostly what I want to point out is that neither of these opportunities which majorly contributed to my success and who I am were free. I had to pay for both of them. They came at great sacrifice and hard work. I even recorded a Christmas & Patriotic Album and went door to door selling it, talk about discomfort. But I learned more about who I am, what I want, what I stand for and where I will not bend, than if I had been handed a spot on America's Got Talent that very first audition.

I read this this morning and found it fitting:

Never Let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do! (Jackson Brown Jr)

So as I finished my audition, received a wow from the producer, and then listened as he told me how difficult it is for a solo singer to make the show and how all the odds were against me. I had to smile and say I know! But I'm here anyway.

Don't the odds always feel like they are against us? And sometimes the opportunities in front of us come with an expensive price tag. But I LIKE who I am today because of the odds I face, and the opportunities I took. Do I still hope I make the show and win the million bucks???? Heck yeah! But even if I don't I'll go out and make my own million bucks. Whichever route is the one God has designed for me it will be the one that I can touch the most lives for good on the way.