The Sound of Music was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. I was 5 years old. It was during our family’s summer vacation in Brunswick, Maine and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Since that day I’ve been enamored with Julie Andrews, the abbey and all things Von Trapp. (I’ve even gone so far as to research a weekend trip to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, but my family keeps nixing the idea!) I own the movie in VHS and CD. I’ve had the soundtrack since you could get it on 8-track and I can sing every word of every song. So it’s been with great anticipation that I’ve waited for NBC and Carrie Underwood’s live rendition.
I think I’d cried 6 times before the first commercial break. (In fact, if I had a complaint about the show at all it would be the number of commercials!! My, but they seemed excessive!) Here are just two of the many reviews I’ve read this morning on the show:
Time Magazine: “How do you solve a problem like Carrie Underwood?” The show “was so cringe-worthy that it was at least fun to watch.”
People Magazine: “Underwood, despite her blonde wholesome sunniness, was miscast.”
You can go online and find many more if you care to. I DON’T! I am amazed at Carrie Underwood. Here is a 6-time Grammy award winner with an additional list of credits and accolades that will have you scrolling for pages online. She certainly didn’t have to put herself out there in a totally unpredictable situation. She has ZERO acting experience. She’s never done live theater. But she did it. In a world where everyone is playing it safe – she took a huge risk. And whether it pays off in the reviews or not – I believe they’ll be huge rewards for her personally because she’ll always know she was given a shot to try something different and she took it. She didn’t sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to try it and see what happened. She was the trailblazer!
So what’s your ‘Sound of Music?’ What could you do in 2014 that would push you to a whole new level of being? I’ll share mine with you. I am going to write my New York Times Best Selling book this year! I’ve had the idea for over 15 years. I’ve just never dared put it all down on paper. What if it flops? What if it’s not a best seller? See, right now I can say, “I’m going to write a NYT bestselling book some day.” But once I’ve tried….and if I fail, then what? What would I say then? “I had this great idea for a best seller and for 15 years I waited to do it, and then I finally wrote it and it ends up it was just a mediocre story.”
Last night, as I watched Carrie Underwood attempt something that was unfamiliar to her, something that she hadn’t spent a lifetime training for, something that utilized her talents but also pushed her into areas that were new – I was inspired. She took a huge risk. Right now, she’s taking some punches from the critics – but she did it. She tweeted last night: “Glory to God tonight…I couldn’t be more proud. What a tough thing to pull off and we did it! I am so blessed!!!” Here’s to you Carrie! I’m going to write my Best Seller this year, and when I’m done – if the critics don’t like it, and I’m feeling sad, I’ll simply remember my favorite things … and then I won’t feel so bad!
So what’s your ‘Sound of Music?’