@ Cath – It’s easy to knock George W (at least it is for me) but it would be churlish not to admire the guys determination to get to the top. Thanks for dropping by!

But I agree that the idea that people should get realistic and accept that they won’t achieve their goals is ridiculous. If they adopted that attitude, they’d never achieve a thing.

Tom makes a very good point with George Bush. It looks like anyone who is really determined to be President of the USA stands a chance.

No dissent here Tim except with Craig of course. Although the picture of the redhead is pretty scary.

It makes you wonder when folks have to resort to extremely exceptional examples to try to prove a point. What do they have against one in a million shots? My God why would anyone want to be realistic? How limiting that is. If someone wants to believe they can do anything, I’m right there with you encouraging them to go for it!

Exactly! They did what they needed to do and it wasn’t purely down to talent. They believed in themselves and probably others believed in them too which loops back to what I was saying perfectly.

The example you give probably falls into physical limitations. However, there have been plenty of terrible singers that have made successful professional careers in the music industry.

No, we are not the ones to tell people that they can or can’t do something. We can’t limit people…. I never want to be the cause of someone not succeeding at something.

You love the pres., huh? No really, he is one determeined passionate from the heart man.

@ Laurie “think reframing gives us a chance to put on a wide angle lens and look at the bigger picture” That’s a really good way of describing it. Thanks for that.

@ Evan – “You can’t have lots of winners of the same race because then they aren’t winners”

I know and appreciate that and even acknowledged it. However, when a client walks into my office I will never think that they cannot achieve THEIR dreams! That is the paradox. I know the odds may be stacked against them but they’re stacked against everybody (not always equally I admit). There have been thousands of people with average talent that have got to the top in their profession and thousands with lots of talent that didn’t.

BTW, by saying my humble, accurate opinion, doesn’t the latter negate the former? ;-)

@ Jennifer – Fantastic we have some genuine dissent in the ranks. I love it!

The voice thing does come under the physical abilities somewhat, but let me ask you this. Are the 10 top paid opera singers in the world, THE top 10 human beings on the planet when it comes to singing opera? Of course not, I’d be amazed if there weren’t 1,000’s with equal ability. Same goes for every other field of activity.

I know what I am saying is paradoxical , but I think if we get sucked into the trap of assessing people and telling them what they can and cannot do we run the risk of stifling potential. I’m going to say this in seriousness. If George Bush can become President of the most powerful country on earth then nobody can tell me that talent always wins out.