Obsession - Never Forget What an Exceptional Human Being You Are!

Do you remember when you were little and you new exactly what you wanted out of life. Maybe you wanted to be a unicorn, Postman Pat, an astronaut, or in my case, a princess!
You would wake up each morning knowing exactly what you wanted to be and some idea of how to get there - take horse riding lessons, watch lots of TV shows with flying rockets. Either way, your goal seemed so simple and you were confident that you'd make it happen!

Then, adolescence hit and, at least in my case, you got preoccupied with buying the 'right' clothes, going for monthly check ups at the orthodontist and hanging with your girlfriends each weekend. Needless to say, I had enough to worry about looking like the 'cool' version of myself instead of thinking about my future career path!

A couple years went by and I was suddenly nearing my last 2 years in high school - It was time to get organized and sort out my life! When I accepted my offer to study singing at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, I was obviously thrilled. I mean, I had worked super hard to make my dream of being a singing star a reality, hadn't I?! Well, I'm sure you're reading this and thinking, 'really? I didn't know that.' Well of course you didn't, and that's ok! But, we all have goals in life and I'd never wanted anything more then to harmonize with my nerdy singing colleagues down the halls to our next class, the nerdiest of all... music theory 😉.
Anyway, I'm rambling, I know. My point being that I was obsessed with singing and all the things I had to do to be the best. At first that obsession propelled me forward. Early starts in sound proof practice rooms, staying an extra couple hours in one of the concert halls after an already exhausting day, just to watch a famous singer. Hoping against hope they'd hint at some tips I could use in my next practice session.

I felt really good about the direction I was going in.

But even with the best intentions, obsessing to much on anything in life can become dangerous for both the person it takes hold of and the people around you. I would stand in a row of singers during choir practice comparing not only how good their voice was compared to mine, but also what they were wearing and how they presented themselves. I would wake up each morning, and instead of focusing on the positives and gifts I'd been given, would obsess over why I couldn't sing something a certain way in one of my songs or why I hadn't been chosen as the soloist for a piece of music in the next concert.

I know it sounds silly, but internal obsession is an emotion that takes a lot of self respect and effort to stay positive and I was struggling!

Human beings are such amazing creatures in that we have the power to take control of our own lives, spread positive emotions around us and work tirelessly towards our goals as long as we stay patient with ourselves and keep positive!

Even though I didn't realize it at the time, this obsessive negative state that I had put myself in was the exact wake up call I needed to appreciate my own capabilities as not just an exceptional singer, but also that I am a human being and human beings have the opportunity, each and every day of our lives, to grow, evaluate and mould ourselves into the person we are ultimately meant to be if we just let ourselves.

I want you to always remember that you are enough just as you are. Whatever challenge you currently face, you are strong enough to overcome it.  You can dream as big as you want and succeed in whatever you want because you are in control of your life. Never forget that! You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.