When I met Stacey, she was happily married, a mother of two, and a working attorney. Our daughters were friends at school, and this gave us the opportunity to spend a few afternoons together as our children played. One day when we were together, the radio was on and Stacey began to sing. I was so taken aback by the beauty of her voice that I said, “You have such a beautiful voice. Have you ever considered singing professionally?”
Stacey answered me with her eyes down, “I’m an attorney and, anyway, who would ever hire me?”
Without any hesitation, I confronted her, ”That’s not what I asked! Let me rephrase the question in another way. Would you like to sing professionally without taking anything else into consideration?”
She thought for a moment before she answered. “Of course I would! It was my lifelong dream, but I let it go a long time ago, and now with my husband, my kids, my work, it would be an impossible road to travel.” As we talked more I learned that, as a little girl, Stacey dreamed of becoming both a singer and an attorney. Her parents felt that the chances of becoming a singer were so unlikely that she had to focus on one thing and that was to become an attorney. Listening to her parents, Stacey became full of self-doubt. She put aside her dreams of singing and focused on her studies to become an attorney.
Now I asked, ”Is singing still your dream?”
She nodded her head yes.
I continued my questioning. “If it is still your dream, would you ever consider that Maybe one day you could sing in public, like in a local bar or at an amateur night?”
She smiled and said, ”Maybe one day I will sing in public.”
About six months later, Stacey was at a karaoke bar and with the thought of Maybe, she decided to get up and sing. After she was finished, a woman approached and asked her if she would consider singing back up in her husband’s band. She said she would consider it and then agreed to an audition. The next day Stacey frantically called me and told me she had made a big mistake in agreeing to the audition. I asked her, “Is this self-doubt coming from what your parents told you?”
She answered quickly. “No, you helped me get through that issue. I can’t do this because I may be judged poorly by others, and I feel like I will pass out on stage.”
I asked her again, “Is this your dream?”
“Without question, yes!” she said.
“Does it bring you joy to sing?” She said yes and I continued. “Then go with your joy and passion. This is not about what your parents, the band or anyone else thinks. This is about you walking into your own joy. Just do it from that inner place that’s been yearning to sing. Go into that Maybe!”
“Wish me luck,” she said, and hung up the phone.
She went for her audition and was accepted as a backup singer in a rock and roll band. She sang back up for a while, and then the lead singer left the band and they asked Stacey to be their new lead singer. Stacey, with her band MADAME PLEASE, has performed in several well-known venues in New York City. After Stacey’s first performance as lead singer in the band she said to me, “I have a family, I work as an attorney and I am lead singer in a band. I am living my dream!”
If you would like to hear Stacey sing, her next performance with her band MADAME PLEASE is on March 9, 2012 starting at 7:30 pm at the Alphabet Lounge located at 104 Avenue C, New York, N.Y. If you see her, just say Maybe and you will see a face filled with contentment.
Don’t you just love Maybe?