The Susan Boyle Phenomenon – What's In It For Us?
April 18, 2009 in Editorial, Newbie Help, The Basics by Chef Keem
You’ve seen the video – you might have read the story. If not, do so now and then come back here.
Much has been said about the initial arrogance of judges and audience – about everyone’s regrets of underestimating an ordinary woman’s potential. I’d like to look at this extraordinary event and explore what we Squidoo lensmasters can learn from it.
What happened? (In 3 easy steps!)
1. Woman develops her talent
2. Woman presents her skills (no frills, no glitter, no magic pitch formulas) to a target audience
3. Woman becomes super star
Quick – a few ‘buts’:
1. But she was born with a great voice! (We all are born with certain talents which can be identified and developed into mastery.)
2. But she had a captive audience! (She actually encountered the worst possible odds – an audience united in opposing her. She overcame this barrier with sheer courage and persistence. We can do this too!)
3. But she got to be on TV! (We have a worldwide audience through Squidoo and other social online networks.)
Now, let’s look at ‘phenomenon’ in a more philosophical sense (something we perceive):
Let’s say, Susan Boyle signs up on Squidoo and makes her first lens. What would she do?
- She would be clear on her her topic and write about it with complete confidence and authority. After all, she’d practiced a long time for the moment of going public with her message.
- She would show her face in the bio – no make-up, bushy eyebrows and all…
- She would reveal her name, age, and place of residence.
- She would give 100 percent of herself without expecting anything in return. (Remember when she left the stage and had to be called back…?)
I’m not saying that all of us can follow these patterns all the time. We may have valid reasons for holding back on our personal information. We might need more time to develop our own style. Whatever the case…
Susan Boyle’s story is our blueprint for success – online and offline.
Recap…
- Write about what you know (sing your song)
- Ignore the nay-sayers (who needs arrogant pricks for validation?)
- Be courageous (aim high when choosing your stage)
- Don’t doubt yourself (be happy about your achievements)
Change the world.
Thank you, Susan.
Image courtesy of ttom thgwid. Thank you.
[ratings]






Susan Boyle’s story is perfect. Perfect analogy, too, Chef!
MiMi’s last blog post..Lensmaster Shout-Outs
Good point Achim!
a_willow’s last blog post..Adding little by little…
Absolutely dead on. I guess I need to take the photo down that came with my wallet and put up the real me. Okay, watch my next post for the real me.
drifter0658’s last blog post..Critiques: How Well Do You Give And Recieve?