Last night I went to the Barry Manilow concert at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. A dear friend of mine was buying tickets and asked if I’d like to join. I’d never seen him in concert and it was a stone’s throw away, so I said, “Yes.” I had low expectations for this concert, but I was pleasantly surprised! He’s certainly not the Barry we heard in the 70’s, but he put on a fantastic show and we sang along to every song because he wrote “the songs that make the whole world sing!” 

Manilow told his story of being raised by his mother and grandparents in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His grandfather saw his musical talent at an early age, before anyone else. He used to bring young Barry to Times Square to the recording booths (Voice-O-Graph) where one could record his or her voice on a record for 25 cents! Manilow never wanted to sing in these booths and wasn’t really sure why his grandfather kept bringing him, but eventually he did. And that’s when he realized his love for music. 

Manilow’s grandfather believed in him well before he ever believed in himself. Does anyone believe in you more than you believe in yourself? I know they do because people have told you how great you are at (fill in the blank), but you dismiss it! You dismiss it as them just being nice. Maybe so, but they are more than likely being nice about something they see, and you’ve heard these compliments before, haven’t you? When will you hold the belief in yourself? When will you live into your full potential? Look, Manilow is rocking a full house at Radio City Music Hall at 79 because he eventually believed what his grandfather was telling him—you’re a talented musician. It’s time for you to believe in you and your greatness!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth

P.S. Take 5 minutes and write down what others have said about you and your greatness. This is a really good exercise for all of us. It’s a great reminder of what other people see that we struggle to accept as our truth. If we’ve heard it more than once, it’s safe to assume it’s true.