"Fail to Quit!"

This is my own personal quote, and I feel that this week’s dreamer is the perfect representation and someone I personally look up to in achieving my own dreams of one day becoming a successful singer and song writer.

   Imagine with me if you will standing in front of the people or person who has the ability to make your dreams come true and now they look you in the eye and say “go home, you don’t have what it takes to make it”.

That my friend is exactly where our dreamer found himself after years of going before labels. This singer song writer had been turned down by every major record label in Nashville.

But with the encouragement of his wife and manager Joe Harris, this soon to be legendary man continued playing whatever gigs he could get giving his all, weather to a crowd of thirty or three hundred.

It was this very passion and commitment that would grab the attention of Capitol Records’ A&R guy Lynn Shultz who heard Garth sing “If tomorrow never comes” at a writers showcase at Nashville’s Bluebird café. Although Capitol had once turned down Garth, Shultz offered him a record deal on the spot!

That’s right we are talking about the legendary Garth brooks!

Can you imagine how big a failure Garth felt as he was turned down by every record label in Nashville? He could have easily said, hey look I have no option left but to quit, or he could have sulked into the next gig with the attitude what’s the point in being here I’m never going to get a deal. Do you think if he had walked into that gig where he was “discovered” with that kind of attitude that the A&R guy would have even paid attention to the guy on stage?

But because Garth “failed to quit”, we have songs today like “If tomorrow never comes”, “much too young”, and “the dance”, just to name a few from his 6 albums that topped well over the 10million mark each! He was also certified by the RIAA as the #1 selling solo artists in US history Garth has sold in excess of 128 million albums!

By integrating rock elements into his recordings and live performances he helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon!

Garth Brooks has made some remarkable milestones but I love that he uses his wealth and fame for the good and he has never turned away from the needs of others.

Here are a few fun facts about Garth that you may not have heard in the news.

Once while standing in a long line at a coffee shop the well-known Garth was cut in front of along with several other “regular” people by an artist(who I won’t shame by naming) saying” I’m so in so, can you go ahead and make my coffee I don’t have time to wait”. The people around Garth shook their heads at the other artist who apparently didn’t realize garth was there and patted Garth on the back with smiles of approval as if to say “and that’s why you’re the real mega super star, and why we support you as fans”

Garth is famous for his generosity towards his fans, like the time he gave a lift to a family struggling with groceries whose car had broken down alongside the road. An hour later Garth returned to the family with keys to a 1986 Caprice Classic.

Garth also showed up at Fan Fair in Nashville and signed autographs for 23 hours and 10 minutes, never once taking a break to eat, sleep, or go to the restroom.

Another great thing he does is each time a million tickets are sold he likes to say thanks to the fans, for example in 1996 the buyers of the fourth million ticket were invited back stage so they could be presented with tour merchandise, ten dozen roses, a video camera, a 35mmcamera, a holiday to Florida with $4,000 spending money, golf clubs and a Chevrolet.

This all just goes to show that a dreamer is one who will be challenged the most, but upon overcoming great odds will reap the greatest reward and I don’t mean just monetary but the treasure that cannot be bought and that is, a feeling of accomplishment and success in achieving that which was hoped for. I believe that hope mixed with preparation is the two key elements in making dreams come true.

A friend of mine once said to me “Don’t give up five minutes before the miracle”.  (I believe this is also the saying of the Alcoholics Anonymous) but the truth of this statement fits us all. You never know when you will wake up to find your dream a reality but it is imperative that when it comes your way it finds you with your hands stretched out ready to receive it!

Therefore my friends if you are going to fail at anything in this life let it be said that you “failed to quit”.

“Because you can and you will be all that you dream to be!”

I would like to invite each of you to share with me the person that you look up to in achieving your own success and why. I will be choosing one person’s inspirational figure for an upcoming blog.

 I would also like to encourage you to forward this blog to someone you might know who is on the Journey,” from dream to reality”. You can do this by going to the recommend box at the bottom of the blog where you can share it through email, twitter, or face book! I hope this blog has encouraged each of you and I look forward to your comments. Oh and one more thing before I go, feed the fish! Simply click on any of the white spots in the tank it’s addictive! LOL 

 Thanks and have a great week everyone!

Angela