‘Now we’ve done it once, we’d do it again anytime.’
Sisters Valerie and Linda loved singing, but the thought of performing in public ter-
rified them. Humming along to the radio was one thing, but standing up in front of
an audience was a different matter. Then one day, encouraged by her daughter’s
music teacher, Valerie decided to have a go and before long Linda signed up too.
A few weeks later the teacher invited them to take part in a workshop run by a top
singing instructor from London, concluding with a concert in front of the other par-
ticipants plus an invited audience of family and friends.
As the dreaded moment of the performance drew near, they panicked. ‘I can’t go
through with this,’ said Valerie to the instructor.
‘Neither can I,’ added Linda.
‘Yes you can’ he insisted, pointing. ‘You sit on those stools and do it. Now!’
Taken aback by his vehemence they sat down, took a deep breath and began. They
sang beautifully and the audience applauded wildly.
‘It’s amazing how much more confident we feel’ they said afterwards. ‘Now we’ve
done it once, we know we can do it, and it doesn’t feel too bad...’
37 TAKE A RISK
The greatest success is not in never failing,
but in rising every time you fall.
Vince Lombardi
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