Turning Hurt Into Hope is my first book about how to utilize hurt to produce hope and brighter future. It took several months for me for writing and editing before submitted it to the Publisher. I am very greatful for receiving God’ s favor through this book. I didn’t experience a “New Author Syndrome” with many rejections from Publisher. I am glad to get connected to one of the largest Christian Publishing House in Indonesia. Thank for the Director, Editors and all staff of Metanoia.
The book now first will be distributed in Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia and several other countries. It will be available in most Christian Book Store all over the Archipelago. Hopefully, you would not miss it.
more about this book, click here
Buku pertama saya Turning Hurt Into Hope berbicara bagaimana memanfaatkan penderitaan untuk menghasilkan pengharapan dan masa depan yang cerah. Menulis dan mengedit buku ini membutuhkan waktu beberapa bulan sebelum diserahkan ke penerbit. Saya bersyukur tidak mengalami “Sindroma Penulis Baru” dengan penolakan di sana sini. Saya senang karena bisa bekerja sama dengan penerbit Kristen ternama di Indonesia.
Buku ini akan didistribusikan di Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia dan beberapa negara lainnya. Buku ini juga akan tersedia di toko-toko buku Kristen seluruh nusantara. Semoga Anda bisa mendapatkannya.
Parents, teachers be careful before you set a rule! Please kindly observe the children developmental stage, cultural background and social stereotype before do so.
When God gave me the opportunity to teach elementary students in an International School, there were many things I wanted to change immediately. One of them is to make the students speaks only English in the classroom. Almost all the students speaking in their mother tongue and totally ignore the Student Conduct Code they recite every morning: “I will speak only English in the school”
I decided to make a shortcut rule and told them “Children if you speak any other sentence beside English in my class, you will get one mark in your cheek” I said while holding a board marker and let everybody see it.
Soon my rule becomes famous. Most of them paid serious attention, thinking it is fun and in the same way, shameful.
I teach all the way from grade 2 to 6. After sometime I realized that the children at their level perceive the rule differently.
Grade 1 and 2: OBEDIENT
They fervently obey the rule and trying many efforts to communicate in English with me. They are lovely and cute, crowned me to be a proud teacher.
Grade 3 and 4: RULE IS RULE
Basically they still have this sincere obedience but they also give no compromise. When a new little girl later joining our class they wanted the same rule to be applied to her. I was reluctant because she was the only girl, small, quiet and shy. Look like she just knows little English.
The boys, bigger and stronger caught her uttered some non English sentences and demanding me to punish her. This situation reminded me when the crowd demanded Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus. ):
They also caught me and forced me to cross my own cheek when I, myself failed to speak non-English sentence. They made me to be a confuse teacher, the victim of my own words. LOL.
Grade 5 and 6: REBELION
They deliberately rebel to the rule. When I took action to execute one boy, he refused it. I physically and verbally lost in the battle.
At the other time when I marked a girl, she cried. I came to her and apologized.
This situation paralyzed and nailed my pride. I am a shameful to my own rule. LOL
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The term development refers to how people grow, adapt and change over the course of their lifetimes. Effective teaching strategies must take into account student’s ages and stages development. That is every parent and teacher desire to give maximum impact to their children or student life without losing their own power and control.
Learning about Child Development has been a rewarding moment for me because of my passion for the children education and welfare. Besides, I am also mothering two smart little boys.
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to you children and to their children after them. (Deut 4:9)
Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. (Prov 17:6)
Learn more about Children Development:
Child’s developmental Stages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_development_stages
Child Developmental Tracker
http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopment/
Child Developmental Info
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/index.htm
Children Developmental Milestone
http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/devmile.htm
My family was in a hotel room in Semarang to attend our denominational conference when I first heard about Michael Jackson death. For us, it was a special day because we are celebrating my husband birthday too. Right away I intended to write something about what I know or feel about his sudden death, but till today, more than two weeks, I could not move my fingers to write a thing. The more I learn about MJ death, life and the world’s reaction, the less word I have to say. As a mother and pastor I have no clue what wisdom 
should we learned by now.
Undoubtedly Michael has most appealing life’s story and probably the most misunderstood person in this planet. Many accused him of his sexual allegations and bizarre appearance. The allegations were acquitted legally then but left scars on people’s heart. There are continually pros and cons about the truth behind. I will not buy the otherwise than MJ was innocence so far. I believe that how people wanted to comprehend MJ is play a big role. Most of them failed in the first place. The death of MJ and how the world mourns for him make it more obvious.
In some of MJ’s private home video in Youtube, we learn how loving and caring MJ as a father. He shows love and care to his children, better than most of normal people do. He speaks softly. He embarrasses when talk about something un-traditional. To my surprise, MJ appears more conservative than most of the Hollywood celebrities.
In addition, what was not been exposed enough is MJ’s humanitarian work that more than any other artists. He participated in around 39 charities, produced millions of dollars for helping the underprivileged people around the world, taking time to visit hospitals and orphanages and brought gifts for the children. The action may to compensate the painful he has been enduring inside.
He earned the title “King of Pop”, “The Best Entertainer in the World” and “The Best Recording Artist” in history. Speaking of talent MJ is second to no one.
Beside the look and drug abuse, he may be a perfection
MJ carried on a difficult childhood. He lost most of his childhood time due to performing and rehearsing. He was physically and emotionally abused by his father or by people surrounds him who took benefit out of his talent. He is developmentally arrested in 10 years old (some says), trying to recapture his missing childhood and never let it go by being grown up.
He was prodigious as a child, most people would agree with that. When he was a child he sings, dances, feels, better than an adult. But as a grownup he behaves, weeps, plays like a little child. He was an ‘adult-child’ then and became ‘child-adult’ when he grew up. That when prodigy turns to tragedy.
He was also diagnosed with lupus and vitiligo (skin disorder), the curse added to his fame.
Rather than understanding or learn from his life, people made money by mocked and ridiculed him. Exposing MJ’s weirdness and bizarre life seem to feed the need of some people who love his talent but hate his fortune.
MJ is an example of extreme gifted person. A genius by the divine appointment. I believe there is a purpose of God to place such person on the earth. Not all of them ended their life victoriously; indeed, some were remembered end tragically. Giftedness may turn to tragic when we misuse it. That also what happened to William James Sidis, the most intelligent person ever alive, who died at 46 after endure a strenuous life between a desire to be normal and the social pressure of what should come up from a genius.
It is difficult for the rest of our society to understand those who are gifted. They may appear eccentric and weird. Their thoughts are not fit to what majority people could conceive. They are sensitive because they feel, think and know deeper. They are by nature being alienated due to their strengths. And most of us don’t really realize it until the time we lost them. That what came to light when my eccentric and dysfunctional father passed away. The time, I realized, how big I misunderstood his life, love, and behavior. I just wanted to have a normal daddy but when you have a gifted one in the family you don’t expect for 
normalcy.
The other reason why MJ is so fragile emotionally may because of his lack of religious foundation. We know the he was raised in Jehova Witness family and later involved in other sects such as Kabala and Nation of Islam. He was unstable and need spiritual direction. He seemed vulnerable to any kind of spiritual teaching. What he needed then is a genuine love and care.
I never know if there any attempt of Christian group or person to approach him and give what he need the most: A salvation assurance. An assurance that we are accepted. An assurance of restoration our distorted self image. An assurance of the eternal life. The work that only Jesus Christ, the Son of God alone could offer. The One that able to turn hurt into hope.
It maybe the ignorance -like what MJ said in one of the interview- that allows such a tragic end happen in our society. The ignorance of the media, the consumers and the viewers. Also the ignorance of the Christians who are confined to their four walls castle. There are many special people that need special attention around us. Some of them look normal and some look alien. They may apart from our tradition and religious values. What they need the most is what we receive for granted: the Grace.
Tags: Arti Hidup, Entertainment, Michael Jacskson
Are you afraid of growing old? Some of the young and modern women probably will say yes. Long line ladies and girls crammed skin care clinics in order to slow down aging or reverse their youth in major cities of Indonesia. The recent government announcement to withdraw some 70 dangerous cosmetics and skin care products wide distributed in the archipelagos gives no shocking to this crowd. Some people overlook the hazardous side effects because of a desire to get instant and visible younger look.
The precedent is far more obvious in South Korea, the country that earned “the plastic surgery kingdom” name. The inconvenient feeling of Korean women mostly with their eyes, nose and chin gives enormous revenues to this field. A report from Cholsun Ilbo (the nation English Newspaper) says there are more than 400 plastic surgery and dermatologist clinics spread in Kangnam District alone. This area become ground that attract young and mid-age ladies not only from the country but elsewhere outside Korea. Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia are some of the countries that contribute to the Korean Economic through the beauty businesses. In the time of economic crisis, when many industrial companies gravely wounded, the plastic surgery is one way to boost national income by lure medicals tourists.
Why it is become such a trend in our modern life? Why for some people looks and appearance becoming major assets to set a self identity? Isn’t it something that we can’t hold for eternity?
If someone asks me whether or not I share the same fear of growing old, I will honestly answer yes. But for a different reason. It is not the wrinkles or sagging skin that feared me the most. What fear me the most is growing old without getting wise. Gain nothing but age from the nature. Learn nothing but failures from the school of life. Finding myself, 20-30 years from now in the corner of a nursery house helplessly regretted the past.
My life is yield to the purpose of God. I have more concern to the poverty in our society, lack of education and opportunities in children, moral crisis in youngsters, emotionally and physically hurt in families. I am starving to be significant, motivational and inspirational by how I handle life’s crisis and survive from difficult trials. That’s what drives my life. That’s what makes me afraid of getting old. I wonder if I have enough time to fulfill my destiny. I am worry of spending my time out of target.
Beauty will fade, riches will decay, flesh will decompose but deeds remain ever after.
Are you ready for the end?
Have you packed your clothes and booked a spaceship that will bring you to another planet?
How the end of the world will come?
Will it be demolished by the World War III? Look at the negotiation between North Korea and USA that failed. Nothing can stop the reclusive communist country to do what they want, to reign the full power nuclear seat. This is the next test to Obama administration after gradually brought its nation recover from economic crisis. But the risk is no way to compare. The fail of USA economic will result in depression but the fail of diplomacy with NK will most probably exterminate my life (I live in South Korea) and yours (if you are living in this planet).
There will be no winner or loser. The only curtain that separate peace and war, life and death is humility. When pride comes, then 
comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom (Proverb 11:2, NIV). The poisonous pride and arrogance will destroy this planet and humankind but those who have wisdom will avoid a harmful action.
But that isn’t the only way we’ll meet our end. How about Global Warming? Go to Al Gore and ask more about it. He must be busy to save two of his staffs detained in North Korea right now, but at least you can watch his award winning movie “The Inconvenient Truth”. It tells that without participate in serious actions, the humankind perhaps will sink in the 2nd floodwaters when the arctic meltdown. If not the rainbow that remind us about God’s promise to not let the world destroyed in such event -Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again (Genesis 9:11), we will believe that is how the end comes.
Enviromentalists say the only ways to prolong the age of this planet are by mitigation (reducing further emission), adaptation (reduce the damage) and geoengineering (to reverse)* The procedures used by many women to fight aging. Let say mitigation is using anti aging cream, adaptation is having botox injection and geoengineering is face-lifting. While maintaining a younger look will not give us extra years but we are hopeful that the similar effort can prevent the world from dying young.
These two are not the only ways intelligent people think will destroy the earth. Astronomers have other concern rather than World War and Global Warming because they believe the universe will find its destiny in the same way it came to exist, by a big bang. They live to believe that the earth will collide with another planets and they get paid well to prove it.
Recently a striking phenomenon emerges. Experts believe a stellar explosion will soon happen in our galaxy. A star named Betelgeuse which very close to the earth is shrinking and will apparently cause another supernova. A supernova can radiate enormous energy that the sun could emit over its life span. Of course it will cause more damage than North Korean, Iran and all the earth’s nuclear weapon combined. Compare to this blast, suddenly the World War III is seems just like a game. It means that migration to another planet is not an option too.
Whether these are facts or myths, all to remind that we are mortal. Even the most intelligent people think that our lives are vulnerable. Therefore we must humbly accept the existence of the Ultimate Being that prevail our mortality. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:11), and how it will end? I believe we are the generation to see.
* source: wikipedia
Last night Indonesia proudly crowned its Miss Indonesia 2009, Karenina Sunny Halim, a 22 years old teacher represented DKI Jakarta with a stunning beauty and intelligent. Different with other contestants who appeared nervous and giving very light answers, Karenina responded all questions with fluent English and right self confidence. It is obvious that she is a kind of woman who knows herself, what she wants and how to get it. She made other finalists not even close to her intelligent and personality.
I was not fond of beauty contest yet try to wake up last night just to see if I have something to write about it. I couldn’t finish the party after all and thinking that I can grab something around the internet in the morning. My curiosity is not contented because there’s not much information about the event. Many blogs are still silent. Maybe this is not an important event or something worth of attention.
What I can’t get from media is the Lady has an American mother, working a Primary School Teacher and finished 6 diplomas (from economics, teaching to Music and Art) through homeschooling. She triumphed over the other beautiful and noteworthy finalists whom educated in best Indonesian Universities or earned degree abroad.
That’s what I want to talk about.
As a mother raising small kids, I am among those who think Homeschooling is the best way to educate our children. This is the way that we, as parents, involve in our children life, maximize their potentials and develop their uniqueness. Fortunately, Indonesia is at the top list of countries that recognizes and supports homeschooling equal to the regular or public school. It gives parents, who decide to homeschooled their children, assurance to move in that direction.
I come to this conclusion after experiencing great frustration raising our children in a multicultural environment. As a young and first time mother, I don’t have any model how to rear a child in that situation. There’s no specific example that I can look up to. My children, of course, are different with their peers who were raised in a unicultural family and also different with how my parents raised me. They think, talk, learn, and behave differently. I found no manual that fit to these children milestones exactly.
My frustration gradually turns to curiosity. I start to consume any kind of books and materials. Children Development, Education in Multicultural Family, Early Education, Psychological Development, are among the topics that I used to read. Then I learned about homeschooling. Soon I become an excited mother and full of self confidence.
Our children are not fully homeschooled today, they still go to regular school to learn their social structure, but I myself found a new path. Education begins at home, and the parents are the primary teachers for their children. As parents we don’t need to sink in the social pressure and force our children to learn something they don’t like or not even useful for their future. At the end, a successful child is those who know their life’s purpose, know their given potentials, rooted in their faith, be useful in the community and of course, happy with their life. Likewise, the successful parents are those who know how to bring the best and goodness in their children.
Tags: Character Builder, Child, Education, Entertainment
Beauty doesn’t always mean lucky. At least, that what happen to the Indonesian beauty Manohara. The former model turned Princess tells the world how beauty may harm some people sometime. By the age of 17 she has been through what we say as misfortune: sexually, mentally and physically abused by her own husband, a Prince from Malaysia. According to her confession she was kidnapped, imprisoned in the palace and treated as a sex toy for months. Worst than it, she had been raped by the man before they married, the time when she was just fifteen.
Now, Manohara has fame and power. After her dramatic rescue, she captured the Media attention in Indonesia. Around the clock, the media broadcast her innocent face and soft spoken voice. She becomes one of the powerful women in the country that unconsciously escalate the tension between Indonesia and its neighbor, Malaysia. Both survived a rocky relationship so far.
What Manohara’s story means for the people especially women in Indonesia, Malaysia or Asia respectively? For me, it tells that Domestic Abuse exists in any level of our society and it’s an urgent subject to talk about. That’s why Manohara’s news has more rating than the Indonesian president candidates’ campaigns. People are drained when government talk 
about economic, politic, welfare, what so far, less benefitted the marginal society. But the people here are eager to talk about human rights, the rights of the weak and oppressed ones.
Domestic Abuse is the issue. Women in Indonesia live with it. Some think it’s a part of our culture: Asian women are inferior to the man. Even Christianity teaches the same melody. Wives, submit to your husband as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). It is an elastic verse that demands women’s absolute obedience to their husband.
We have to obey the Lord. We have to serve Him. We can’t question His authority, and He is free from any wrong doing. If we have to do these to the Lord, and so the wife to her husband.
What happen in a case of Domestic Abuse? Should women accept it as destiny and endure the pain?
I was teaching Bible School students the other day and asked their opinion about a domestic violence case. What a surprise because almost everybody thinks that women have to stay, endure and pray in that situation -even when it endangers the women and their children lives-. They believe one day God will change the husband’s heart and turn him to a loving, caring and Godly man. A separation or divorce is not even a choice.
Absolutely, we can see this happened in many many of Christian marriages, but I also witness, no matter what kind of prayer, there are some women endure a harmful and destructive relationship in the name of Faith. The emotional blow does not only to the wives but also to their children. The principle that saved a Christian marriage does not always work out to the others. What happen if the husband has mental or social problem? Some of the underline factors that remain unrecognized among the lower class society.
I don’t like divorce and believe it’s unbiblical and a disgraceful act, but I think we have to discuss about the way to protect women and children from emotional, mental and physical violence that may occur in the families beyond their religion and culture. There should be a change. There should be a solution.
Tags: Entertainment, Family, Marriage, Relationship
Ini adalah postingan yang ke-101 dari blog ini sejak di launching hampir 2 tahun yang lalu. Selama ini juga saya berusaha untuk memberikan tulisan yang terbaik meskipun kadang ada yang tidak berkenan di hati pembaca dan gugur jika masuk kualifikasi blogger favorit. Jika demikian adanya, saya dengan tulus hati memohon maaf.
Blog ini memberikan warna tersendiri dalam kehidupan saya. Kadang senang kadang juga sedih. Kadang ada sedikit kecewa, biasalah, namanya juga manusia. Yaitu jika saya telah berusaha menumpahkan segenap perasaan untuk suatu tulisan tapi kurang ditanggapi atau bahkan dikunjungi.
Namun, saya juga sangat bersyukur karena menemukan bahwa menulis adalah seringkali for my self rather than for others. Menulis menjadi terapi yang menyenangkan jika hati sedang gundah. Menulis di blog ini juga adalah sarana terbaik bagi saya untuk berlatih. Saya bisa menulis apa saja dan yang lain nggak bisa banyak cingcong. This is my blog, my thought, my world J(Smile : mode on). Saya bisa menulis buku sebenarnya adalah hasil kepercayaan diri yang tumbuh selama saya menulis blog.
Seringkali juga saya mendapatkan masukan dan koment yang membuat kuping merah, (karena malu), jika merasa dipuji dan disanjung berlebih-lebihan. Meskipun senang dan bangga tapi yang saya inginkan lebih dari segalanya adalah menjadi saluran berkat dan inspirasi lewat tulis menulis ini.
Sebenarnya sejak, tahun lalu saya ingin mengembangkan diri untuk menulis blog Berbahasa Inggris tapi ternyata sulit untuk memiliki dua kekasih. Oki, saya tetap merajutkan hati pada blog ini till death do us part (Melancholic: mode on). Kekasih baru saya itu akhirnya terbengkalai karena tidak pernah di perhatiin apalagi di nafkai.
Saya juga berkomitmen untuk menulis dalam Bahasa Indonesia walau rame-rame blogger Indonesia pada menulis dalam bahasa Inggris. Itu karena keinginan saya untuk membangun blog Berbahasa Indonesia yang bermutu dengan tulisan-tulisan yang original (bukan hasil bajakan atau copy paste), meskipun tidak bisa disangkal bahwa sebenarnya tidak ide yang benar-benar asli. Saya juga belajar dari tulisan dan pemikiran orang lain.
Alasan lainnya adalah karena bahasa Inggris saya memang pas-pasan. Lha wong, menulis bahasa sendiri saja masih belajar –sering masih susah dimengerti- sekarang mau pake bahasa orang. Punya blog Bahasa Inggris sepertinya masih dalam angan-angan.
Tapi setelah dipertimbangkan selanjutnya, saya harus mengalahkan rasa tidak percaya diri ini dan mulai melangkah untuk milestone berikutnya dalam ‘karir penulisan’ saya (Proud: mode on). Untuk itulah saya ingin menyudahi blog “Menuju Puncak” sampai di sini walau sadar betul ini masihlah ‘Lembah’ dan belum ‘Puncak’ sama sekali.
Mulai sekarang, blog “Menuju Puncak” akan berganti nama menjadi “nancydinar.com” (saya belum bisa memikirkan nama pengganti yang lebih pas) dan postingan berikutnya adalah dalam Bahasa Inggris. Meskipun nanti bahasa saya berelepotan tapi ini juga proses pembelajaran. Saya belajar banyak sejak menulis blog 2 tahun lalu dan percaya bahwa langkah ini juga akan berbuahkan hasil di hari esok.
So, I just want to say goodbye to “Menuju Puncak” and welcoming the new day with “nancydinar.com”. For those who accompanying me so far -we’ve learned, grew and dreamed together- this is my gratitude. We are going to the next level tomorrow and expecting more horror- I mean honor- as we learn to do better things.
Pernahkah anda melucu dan pendengarnya tidak tertawa? Well, saya sering mengalaminya. Bukannya tertawa malah mereka tegang dan bingung membuat saya salah tingkah apalagi jika kejadiannya di depan podium pada saat sedang menyampaikan khotbah. Namun, the show must go on. Satu-satunya yang tertawa di ruangan itu adalah saya sendiri. Bukan pada leluconnya yang sudah saya hapal dan ceritakan berulang-ulang tapi pada kenyataan ‘alangkah lucunya ada pelawak yang tidak lucu’.
Mungkin saya tidak ahli dalam hal melucu seperti TJ Waltije yang bisa membuat siapa saja geli dan terpingkal-pingkal dengan gayanya yang konyol. Walau sebenarnya saya punya bakat alami karena beberapa orang berpendapat tampang saya lugu dan bego. Sebenarnya saya sering berhadapan dengan diskriminasi seperti ini dan tidak lolos seleksi jika syarat utamanya adalah ‘tampang cerdas’.
Dulu pernah seseorang yang saya kenal baik memandang saya dengan pandangan tulus iklas dan berkata “Dek, tampangmu kok blo’on sih?”. Saya pulang menangis sepanjang jalan, beberapa sahabat saya berusaha membujuk. “Kamu tidak bodoh Nan, orang itu cuman tidak tau apa isi kepalamu?” J Tapi saya tetap menangis sehingga kami menjadi tontonan umum. “Nggak, kamu tidak tahu. Aku sedih karena dia bukan orang pertama yang ngomong begitu!”
Saya hampir percaya bahwa memang saya tidak memiliki otak yang cukup berat dan sekarang harus menerima kenyataan bahwa saya juga tidak berpotensi untuk menjadi anggota Extravaganza.
Dunia sepertinya tidak adil, karena dalam ruangan saya biasanya orang paling pertama tertawa dan geli dengan lelucon yang masih harus dicerna oleh orang lain. Ketika orang lain akhirnya sadar bahwa mereka sedang mendengar lelucon dan seharusnya tertawa, saya malah sudah tertawa untuk lelucon berikutnya.
Untung saja ada yang menyadari bahwa walau tidak lucu saya sebenarnya lucu. Dia itulah suami saya. Waktu kami masih berteman, setiap hari pasti 
penuh canda tawa. Suatu hari dia berkata, “mungkin kalau kita menikah, rumah tangga kita akan seperti pertunjukkan sirkus”. Maksudnya pertunjukkan sirkus yang punya banyak atraksi mendebarkan dan lucu. Demikianlah adanya, kami pun menikah. Kami tertawa dan melucu tanpa disengaja setiap hari dan kemudian menghasilkan keturunan yang juga lucu lucu.
Hidup ini ibarat sungai yang memiliki dua sumber mata air. Yang satunya menghasilkan tawa dan yang lain menghasilkan air mata. Hidup ini juga sama seperti kata suami saya, ibarat permainan sirkus. Ada adegan mendebarkan dan mengandung resiko dan ada badut lucu yang konyol untuk menghibur. Satu dan lainnya saling melengkapi.
Meskipun memiliki tampang bego dan blo’on, tapi dengan wajah yang sama, saya juga mendengar orang-orang berkata “Nancy, kamu punya karisma”. Saya tersenyum, menerima dua kenyataan ini sebagai compliment yang utuh. Yang satu bukan pujian dan yang lainnya bukan ejekan. Keduanya adalah dua mata air yang berbeda dalam satu pribadi yang sama.
Saat ini dunia ribut membicarakan Susan Boyle. Padahal dua bulan sebelumnya ia hanyalah wanita desa separuh baya yang tidak menarik perhatian siapapun. Susan baru menerima takdirnya sebagai selebrity dunia setelah lolos dalam babak penyisihan Britain Got Talent April lalu.
Mengapa Susan begitu istimewa?
Karena ia berbeda dari peserta lainnya yang mengandalkan penampilan menarik untuk menunjang bakat mereka. Penampilan Susan, ditambah usianya yang hampir 50 tahun justru mengundang tawa dan ejekan. Sebelum ia mulai menyanyi, tidak ada satupun di dalam ruangan yang akan menyangka bahwa ia akan menjadi wanita paling populer dalam sejarah 
Youtube. Tapi ketika ia mulai membuka mulutnya dan menyanyikan lagu I Dreamed a Dream, wajah para penonton yang tadinya meremehkan berubah menjadi takjub. Spontan mereka berdiri dan memberikan tepuk tangan.
Satu bulan sejak penampilannya tersebut, Youtube telah mengundang ratusan juta pengunjung. Susan Boyle pun menjadi tokoh entertainment baru yang diwawancarai talk show dan stasiun paling terkemuka seperti Oprah, Larry King, CBS, ABC, Fox dan NBC.
Kemanakah Susan yang bersuara indah pergi selama ini? Mengapa dunia baru mengenalnya pada saat ia berusia 47 tahun?
“Aku tidak pernah diberikan kesempatan sebelumnya” kata Susan kepada juri Britain Got Talent yang salah satunya adalah pria berlidah tajam, Simon Cowell.
Tenyata ada hal-hal di luar daripada sekedar mimpi dan bakat yaitu, kesempatan. Tanpa kesempatan mimpi kita tidak bisa diwujudkan dan bakat kita terkubur hidup-hidup. Karena tampangnya, kesempatan selama ini seakan lari menjauhinya. Ia sering diejek orang karena wajah dan penampilannya. Bukan hanya kesempatan di bidang tarik suara namun juga kesempatan untuk mendapatkan jodoh dan pekerjaan. Sampai saat ini Susan masih single dan mengaku belum pernah di cium, ia hanya pernah bekerja sebagai voluenteer di gereja dan komunitas. Selama itu juga Susan harus merawat ibunya yang belum lama meninggal dunia, keadaan yang membuat ia harus menunda mengejar semua mimpi-mimpinya.
Susan sangat familiar dengan kekecewaan, penolakan, ejekan dan hinaan namun bertekad untuk mewujudkan mimpinya. Untung saja ada Britain Got Talent yang memberikan Susan 
kesempatan untuk menampilkan bakatnya tanpa melihat image-nya secara keseluruhan. Kesempatan ini tidak mau dilewatinya, meski ia harus menghadapi berlapis-lapis barisan manusia yang dengan sikap sinis mereka memaksanya untuk mundur.
Selain kesempatan, Susan juga terkenal karena apa yang dinamakan momentum. Walau banyak penyanyi muda, cantik yang juga bersuara malaikat tapi Susan merebut hati dunia. Momentum ini justru datang dari sikap sinis dan negatif para pendengarnya. Betapa terkejutnya ketika mereka mendengar Susan bernyanyi. Perubahan emosi yang besar antara sebelum Susan menyanyi dan sesudahnya telah menciptakan momentum bagi kesuksesan ini. Seseorang yang di remehkan dan mengundang tawa serta cibiran, ternyata memiliki bakat yang luar biasa. Salah satu juri mengatakan Susan adalah “Kejutan terbesar selama 3 tahun acara Britain Got Talent mengudara”
Faktor ketiga yang memegang peranan atas kepopuleran Susan adalah promosi, tentu saja ini karena peran internet dan media massa lainnya
. Merekalah yang mendongkrak Susan naik. Menjadikan citranya menarik untuk diceritakan berulang-ulang. Tokoh-tokoh terkenal seperti Oprah, Larry King dan Simon Cowell juga ikut membantu membuat Susan terkenal.
Di sekitar kita banyak orang yang meremehkan kemampuan kita karena terlebih dulu menilai dari penampilan luar. Barangkali itu juga yang menyebabkan banyak orang yang berbakat mengubur mimpi mereka dalam-dalam dan tidak berani tampil ke depan. Takut malu, takut salah, takut diejek dan menjadi bahan tertawaan membuat banyak dari kita mengabaikan potensi yang Tuhan sudah berikan.
Bertahun-tahun lalu banyak yang tertawa karena suara saya yang terlalu manja dan cempreng. Saya juga sering disindir karena gugup dan gemetar waktu berbicara di depan banyak orang. Namun ini tidak pernah menghentikan keiginan saya untuk mengemukakan pendapat dan berbicara di tempat umum. Bagi beberapa orang sikap saya tidak tahu malu atau tidak tahu diri. Kenekadan ini berbuah hasil, karena sampai sekarang saya bisa berkhotbah, mengajar, menulis atau dengan cara apa saja agar orang lain mengetahui apa yang saya pikirkan. Lama kelamaan rasa takut salah atau ditertawakan orang berkurang diganti oleh rasa percaya diri. Rasa percaya diri inilah yang menjadi lahan subur untuk membuat potensi kita bertumbuh.
Setelah mengalahkan rasa minder ini tugas kita berikutnya adalah bermimpi, percaya dan mewujudkan mimpi jadi kenyataan. Kemudian nantikanlah tiga hal seperti yang diterima Susan Boyle: kesempatan, momentum dan promosi, kebetulan tiga hal ini butuh campur tangan Tuhan. Berbahagialah mereka yang menerimanya karena mereka pantas disebut beruntung (LUCKY) atau diberkati (BLESSED).
Tags: Entertainment, Inspirational
