Why YOU need to be like Elizabeth Taylor

As the world mourns the death of a Hollywood legend, I recall vividly the night I met the man with the striking violet eyes. I was totally and completely mesmerized…

The place was Gstaad, Switzerland in December 1981 and the height of ski season. Gstaad is the playground of the world’s glitterati -European and Hollywood royalty mix and mingle to ski breathtakingly beautiful slopes and apres ski in luxurious chalets, restaurants and hotels. As a professional entertainer I was playing piano at the Saanenmoser resort hotel when suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks to stare back into the face of Michael Wilding.

My reaction was SO not cool.

Instead of applying the first rule of the stage “the show must go on” I forgot which song I was playing, where the notes were and what my name was. Not so professional.

Elizabeth Taylor’s son Michael is part of the legend she leaves behind. Her beauty opened doors at an early age and her movies will live on. But Elizabeth Taylor was extraordinary not because she was beautiful. She was extraordinary because she was resilient.

With all the pain and adversity of divorces, addictions, loss and sickness Elizabeth Taylor maintained dignity, compassion and the ultimate image of a glamorous movie star. She was the spokesperson for people with HIV/AIDS when it wasn’t the Hollywood thing to do. She was extremely loyal to her friends through thick and thin – a fact made obvious by her close friendship with Michael Jackson.

Elizabeth Taylor was an extraordinary performer on many levels. Are you?

You don’t need to be a movie star to succeed in today’s world. But you DO need resilience to overcome setbacks like the economy, doing more with less and not having violet colored eyes.

Take a lesson from Elizabeth Taylor. Obstacles are stepping stones to success that can help YOU leave a legacy of Extraordinary Performance.

Lights, camera, action!