Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about Susan Boyle, the Scottish woman who is a singing sensation since her appearance on Britain’s “You’ve Got Talent.” Talent reality shows such as “You’ve Got Talent” and “American Idol” are all the rage but having a 47-year-old competitor is not ordinary at all.

In our Western society, you can pretty much consider yourself out of the picture in most things once you hit 40. It’s as if people think life ends at 40 instead of the other way around. Our culture puts so much emphasis on the appearance of youth that talent and experience are often not even a part of the equation.

What’s amazing is that no one discovered Susan’s magnificent voice until now. Apparently, she did enter singing competitions and such but yet her light was hidden. No one noticed her or gave her talent a second thought.

Until now. Now is her time. All the preparations through the years have come to fruition now at the age of 47. I don’t know how Susan felt during all those years that her talent was basically ignored but I’m impressed that she had the guts to get up on a stage and perform even though she had to know that people would look at her and assume she had nothing worthwhile to contribute.

Susan is truly an inspiration for the rest of us. Her story proves that you can become a success at any age, that it’s never too late to achieve your dream. If you have a dream or goal that hasn’t materialized for you yet, do not give up. Your age, your appearance, your handicaps, none of these mean your chance at success is over.

Remember to:

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”–Langston Hughes