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This has been all over the entertainment blogs, but it’s still a very enlightening video. It’s from “Britain’s Got Talent”, and the person auditioning is best described as “auntie”.

Watch the video before reading! Click “Read on” to access the link.

Aha! That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Even the judges were blown away. They weren’t expecting much, probably because of the way she looked and spoke. That’s the “beautiful is good” fallacy, it’s a common human failing. Just goes to show, you really never know what’s in the book just by looking at the cover.

I think what’s more amazing is, how much she believed in herself. She auditioned in front of an audience of 3000 people, one of whom was Simon Cowell, and she didn’t show any nervousness. She just went out there and gave a wonderful performance, even though Simon was a bit condescending to her at first. When she stepped on that stage, people already held preconceptions about her, and instead of letting this negative energy get to her, she just proved them all wrong.

So what can we learn from watching this video, not only of her performance but also from the reaction of the audience? Firstly, she had a dream, and she also had the talent to go along with it. But most importantly, she had the guts and the self-belief to put that talent to the test. Goal-getting, not goal-setting.

Secondly, the stronger your preconceived notions, the more it will sting when you have them proven wrong. It’s perfectly human to have preconceptions – just don’t be too stubborn about giving them up when you have to. Even Simon Cowell could do it!

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