Why I love American Idol

I never used to watch American Idol. I only started watching it two seasons ago. But once I started watching it, I was hooked. Sure, I had to trudge through the crappy commercials, the blatant product placement, the silly bickering among the judges and the mindless banter, but aside from all that, the essence of American Idol is people stepping out and taking a chance to really show themselves. And when they do, it's magic.

I love to sing myself and believe me, I know how hard it is to sing in front of people. Most of us can belt it out when we're alone but to have the nerve to really sing our hearts out in front of people takes a lot of guts. I tried karaoke once and even though I was pretty confident in my voice, I was very self- conscious. That's why when I watch American Idol and I see someone with confidence and poise, standing up strong, making no excuses and belting out a song with all their might, it is just so inspiring. Sure, it's commercial. Sure, it's a TV show... but somewhere in all of us, we wish we had the nerve to do what these kids do. Stand up tall and throw it all down, no excuses. And when you see the exuberance and joy in their faces when they make it to the next stage of the competition, it gives me such a great feeling inside that I can also reach out for my dreams and taste success and joy.

Yoga practice is a wonderful way to build the confidence inside of all of us. Without words, we move strongly yet silently through the postures. We struggle with some, move with ease through others but in the end the sum total of all the postures is the equation of our belief in ourselves merged with our commitment to our health.

The modality in American Idol is singing. It could be anything though; what they "do" is not the point. It's just the window dressing. The essence of American Idol, if you look past the commercial icing on the cake, is it asks the question, " Do you have what it takes to stand up strong, be yourself, no excuses and do your best?" That's a question for all of us, in all aspects of our lives.

So, do you?