You can’t have one without the other.As I’m catching up on the Grammy Awards from last night, a few things jump out at me. Beyoncé’s performance, Adele’s starting over and Bruno Mars Prince tribute, just to name a few. All three put a tremendous amount of love into their performances and it took an unbelievable amount of courage to do it.
The internet was a blaze with love and criticism of Beyoncé. Some loved her and said she set their world on fire and others felt she was self-absorbed and showboating. I’m confused, isn’t that what entertaining is all about – showboating?? I digress.
What I love about Beyoncé is that she’s not making her music to please everyone. No, she’s doing what she loves, what she’s good at and what is relevant in her eyes. She’s not trying to fit into a box and get our gold stars of approval. She doesn’t need them. She’s doing what is meaningful to her and if that resonates with people – great! That mindset requires a lot of love and courage. And you can’t have either one of those without vulnerability.
Whether you loved it or hated it, one can see the courage it takes to step on stage in front of millions of people and take a risk to showcase her art. WOW! The vulnerability it takes to create it and the courage it takes to share it are off the charts.
Adele was equally amazing. She started a tribute for George Michael and stopped after a few seconds and asked to restart. WHAT??? Apparently, she made some kind of mistake (that I didn’t notice). But she knew and she wanted to deliver the purest performance for her friend, so she stopped, cussed, apologized and said I need to restart. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything like that before. Total badass in my eyes!
Why? For the love of her friend. She wanted to get it exactly right for him. Now that’s love.
It also took a tremendous amount of courage and vulnerability…are you seeing a theme? To stop a live performance, admit a mistake and request a do over was so incredible to me. She was willing to risk the criticism, bad publicity, negativity – just to honor her friend the way she wanted. The way she felt he deserved to be honored. Absolutely unbelievable!
Bruno Mars rocked the Prince tribute! I was blown away! To dress like a legend, sing his music and honor his legacy took so much…you guessed it… love, courage and vulnerability. I would argue that his performance was the riskiest of them all because he dared to, not just imitate, but to emulate Prince. If you’re a Prince fan and someone screws up the tribute – they will be roasted for life! Bruno Mars didn’t let that stop him! He put on one hell of a performance that everyone loved!
Each of these artists showed their love, courage and vulnerability in very different ways. When I think about what they’ve done I realized that it’s how I want to live.
NO, not on stage, let’s be serious! But unafraid of what people might think, wearing their heart on their sleeve and willing to take a chance to do something great. There are no guarantees in life. No absolutes, except death. Just thinking about living a life filled with love, hope and opportunity feels so much better than a life filled with criticism, fear and regret.
What do you choose?
A lot of us are unwilling to put ourselves out there for fear of rejection, criticism, failure or ridicule. We hide beneath the radar hoping to go unnoticed. I’m not suggesting that you take the stage on live TV and give it your best shot – unless that’s your thing – then go for it. But always playing it safe is suffocating. Flying below the radar will never allow us to reach the stars. Denying our own talents isn’t helping ourselves or serving anyone’s else – it’s a slow death.
And yet when we see it in others, we are super critical. It’s easy to sit behind a computer screen and pick apart their performances. Talk about the missed notes, the outfits, the coulda, woulda, shoulda’s, but is that really serving us?
The answer is NO!
It’s keeping us stuck and still playing small. When we criticize others, we live in fear that others will soon criticize us.
So many people are unwilling to admit they’ve made a mistake but Adele stops a live performance to start it over again so she can get it right – WOW! That’s love. That’s courage. That’s vulnerability.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, a day that’s all about love…I challenge you to invite more love into your life. Start with yourself. Love yourself – just the way you are! In all your amazingness. Know that you’re worthy and loved.
Love doesn’t come without risk, that’s where the courage and vulnerability come in. It’s celebrating love – whether you’re single or in a relationship. You can feel the love and celebrate it.
Love others. Spread some love to your neighbors, the cashier at the grocery store, the stranger at the post office, the person in line behind you at Starbucks. A smile, a compliment, holding the door, may be a coffee – can spread love into the world.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Regardless of how you celebrate, remember that all you need is a little love and courage.
xoxo,
Shawna
