Ok, I’ll admit it.  I recently watched the first couple of episodes of X Factor with my wife.  Bless her heart.  She loves that stuff.  Generally, I think TV is a waste of time.  But, I was inspired in unexpected ways by what I saw.  When an exceptional story emerges from the masses of hopefuls, the X Factor crew (just like American Idol), dives a little deeper to tell the back story of an individual artist.

The story of Stacy Francis was heart wrenching.  As a 40 year old woman, she’s been beaten down by the world around her.  No one has believed in her.  An ex-boyfriend told her she wasn’t good enough and she was too old.  Friends and family members encouraged her to give up her dream and move on.  The time had passed.

But somehow Stacy garnered the courage to put it all on the line.  As she stepped on the stage, Simon asked her “Why do you think this hasn’t worked out?”  She mentioned a bit about her story and then exclaimed: “I don’t want to die with this music in me”.

Tears.  Not hers.  Mine.

Her statement was overwhelming to me.  The music inside her was too powerful for her to go to the grave without her getting it out.  She KNEW this was her purpose in life.  To share that beautiful power.

And her voice?  Stunning!  She clearly had music in her that should never die unheard.  It was powerful and moving.  She had faced all her fears, all her doubters, all her anxieties, all of the world.  And she won.  I haven’t watched any episodes since then. I have no idea how far she has gone or will go with her music.  But, in my mind, she won.  She won at life.  She got out the one thing she had to get out before she dies.  And it touched me in a deep way.  Thank you Stacy!

So, my question to you is: “What is inside of you that you have to get out before you die?”

Are you willing to face your deepest fears to get it out?  Are you willing to face all of your doubters?  Are you willing to face hell itself?

If so, post it below.  Let’s get it out.  Let’s make it real.