I admit my impression of Michael over the past decade had eroded to one of feeling he was strange and moving toward bizarre, had everything yet was pathetically unhappy, and was wasting his immense talents with all his "distractions and obsessions." I admit I really wanted to understand what made Michael tick, and so I watched parts of the special tribute shows highlighting Michael's life these past 2 weeks. I realized I had only a partial picture of the incredible man in the mirror. Yes, he was immensely talented. Yes, he was projected by the media as eccentric at best, obsessed at worst. And there is so much more... More important than the media's image of Michael I learned that Michael's favorite song was "Smile" even though your heart is breaking. I learned that he loved to laugh and make others smile, sing, dance and laugh. I learned that he was sensitive, kind, gentle and a loving father. I learned Michael's inner-image of himself caused him to always reinvent himself, his face, his life. I learned that though Michael dramatically changed his outer image, his inner image caused him great pain and torment throughout his life. Dr. Maltz, Plastic surgeon and author of Psycho-Cybernetics observed, that while many people came to him to have their outer image altered with plastic surgery, some would leave with their inner image altered as well. He also noticed many people's inner image did not change even when their outer image had been dramatically transformed with plastic surgery. Though they looked entirely different, they still felt the unhappiness of the inner scars. Both an Example and a Warning Michael's journey is both a great example and a great warning to each of us. His gifts to the world are numerous. His music still lights up our hearts especially now, as evidenced by the resurgence of his music sales postmortem. Watching him dance brings out the dancer and entertainer in all of us. As many performers and athletes shared at his memorial, Michael paved the way for many African-Americans to also have the opportunity to share their gifts and talents and be accepted around the world. Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant shared, "Michael made it possible for our uniforms to hang in homes around the world." Did Michael's outer transformation over the years help us all bridge a huge gap between color? Wasn't Michael still magical to us regardless of his skin being dark in his earlier years, his nose too big as his father told him so often? Did we think more of him when he changed his skin to white or transformed his nose? Wasn't Michael the same sweet, talented man in the mirror who brought such life to our souls when our hearts danced to his music? I am grateful for the warning Michael's life has also taught me. I wonder, did he leave with some of his music still inside him? Did his thoughts, lifestyle and fears create him leaving before his time? Did he lose sight of his purpose and passion somewhere along the way during his troubled times? Did his inner-image stop him from seeing just how magnificent he was? Was his inner-image still one of "not good enough" even though his outer-image had been completely transformed with plastic surgery? Could Michael have ever imagined how the entire world would celebrate his life, his music with such love and devotion after he was gone? Had he known in advance, would anything have changed for Michael? If Michael could have known that the future would call him, "The greatest entertainer to have lived," would that have made a difference in Michael's destiny? Michael's life and shocking death has caused me to ponder as perhaps millions have, "What music is still inside me that I must get out? How many people love me and I may not even realize it? How have I made the world a better place in ways I haven't totally recognized? What legacy will I leave?" Like Michael, we all have been given special gifts and talents. The question is, are we maximizing them to our fullest potential? This tribute week to Michael has reminded me of one of my all-time favorite quotes by John Randolph Price: "We should keep in mind that we did not come into this world as tourists. We came in to awaken to our True Identity, and as part of the memory-jogging exercise we accepted an assignment to help heal and harmonize Planet Earth. It is like a victim of amnesia returning to the town where he once lived, and to accelerate the remembering process he volunteers to help make the community a better place to live. That is why we are here, and the express-or-suffer principle is one way of keeping us all on track in fulfilling our assignments. It is a fail safe device that keeps us headed in the right direction." Do you want a proven method to create more purpose, passion, peace and prosperity in your life and your business? Then go to www.GrabYourUltimateDreams.com and get started right now. P.S. A year from now you may wish you'd started today. |
