You may be familiar with the TV Show âAmericaâs Got Talentâ but did you know thereâs also a Koreaâs Got Talent? Last week while doing research on YouTube for an upcoming keynote, I came across the story of Sung-Bong Choi. Even though the video has subtitles, itâs well worth watching!
Sung-Bong Choiâs performance brought the audience to its feet, and even more amazing was his story. An orphan at the age of three and living on the street since the age of five, Sung-Bong Choiâs courage and determination was the only way he survived. In an interview with CNN he said, “My life was meaningless. There was only one thing that gave me comfort. It was music, not people… I felt calm when I listened to music… music was my only friend when I was lonely.”
He had every opportunity to give up, but instead he chose to keep going. Through a series of what I like to call âsynchrodestiny momentsâ he found former opera singer Park Jung-So. Park began training Choi free of charge and also put him in touch with a childrenâs foundation. Through the foundationâs support he finally had a place to live, was able to attend school and pursue the one constant he had in life, his music.
Choi said he had tried to kill himself and believed he should have never have been born. Imagine the mental ping pong match he must have been playing in his own mind. He was his worst influence and his greatest champion. I love the quote from Bruce Barton, “Nothing great has ever been achieved except by those who dared to believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances.” How else would Choi have survived all those years?
Have you ever had one of those days or even one of those months where nothing seems to go right? Itâs as if your dream is just out of reach and challenges keep surfacing. Do you keep fighting for what you want , shrink your dream to match your progress, or simply give up? Choosing to give up could be the result of not wanting it bad enough, or giving in to the âyou donât really deserve thisâ match being played in your mind.
Take a minute to reflect on the goals and dreams you desire. What have you accomplished and what are you still working toward? Remember the most successful people in the world have experienced the greatest challenges and setbacks. The secret to success was never giving in to their limiting beliefs, no matter what circumstances they faced. You are your greatest champion, keep going even if itâs just a step at a time, because you can achieve your goals and dreams. Thereâs always a way, just keep goingâŚâŚ
Sung-Bong Choi’s audition for Korea’s Got Talent
