This evening I was lucky to attend the Broadway musical, Beautiful. It chronicles the life of Carole King before she was a superstar, and simply was an aspiring young songwriter.
At one point in the show, a musician invites Carole to sit in with his band at a New York City club. She refuses, saying, "Who would want to see me perform? I'm just a normal-looking person."
He suggests, "Other normal looking people?"
She had remarkable talent, but she didn't yet understand the breadth and depth of it.
Carole first enjoyed success as part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin. It was only later that she worked up the courage and confidence to actually become a performer herself.
This seems to be a common path through life. Many of us struggle to find our true talents, and even when that happens, we can struggle to find the confidence to believe in our talents.
To test your own self-confidence, think about this: if you wanted to be an actor, would you have the tenacity to invest five or ten years in going to auditions, being turned down repeatedly, and still getting up each day and trying again?
Ah, but here's the rub. Almost no one feels worthy until long after they have proven themselves.
If you believe the musical, Carole King was a hugely successful songwriter before she enjoyed many of the trappings of success. From her perspective, she was racing to keep up, trying to take care of two kids, and dealing with a marriage that was on shaky ground.
External metrics will not confirm your talent until long after you are successful. It is up to YOU to believe in yourself.
By the way, I'm not talking about believing that you can write hit songs. I'm talking about believing you can start a business, launch a thriving consulting practice, become a doctor, write a novel on the nights and weekends, or simply help other people in a substantive way.
Here's the truly beautiful part: you can feel like a normal person and still believe in your talents. It all comes down to being happier pursuing what you were born to do instead of settling for an easier path doing something else.
