Cinderella Woman’s story and unlikely heroine unites the “crazy ones”.

Do you ever wonder how a person can be moved to tears through someone’s story? What is it in a story that wins over people’s hearts? Robert McKee, a veteran in the story-telling arena (specifically associated with blockbuster Hollywood screenplays) gave an interview in 2003 with Harvard Business Review.

McKee says “stories fulfill a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living, not merely as an intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience.”
What makes a good story? Aristotle, in his ancient classic work Poetics, says stories have a beginning, middle and ending. There are complex characters, a plot that sees a reversal of fortune and finally, a lesson learned. This is what McKee refers to as the “inciting event” that throws life out of balance along what was a smooth journey. What fascinates people is the struggle, the uphill battle to restore balance despite opposing forces and scare resources. More often than not, society isn’t all that interested in hearing a person’s story. Judging a book by its cover is so much more convenient. The first impression is often the only one that matters.

Every now and again, first impressions suffer a crushing defeat because someone is given a chance to tell their story at the right time in the right venue. This happened on April 11, 2009 when Susan Boyle was asked on the television show Britains Got Talent, why she hadn’t succeeded as a singer. The emotional story of a 47-year-old unemployed, unmarried woman who has never been kissed and never been given a chance before suggests a ship adrift far at sea with little chance of coming home. Indeed, Susan’s appearance set the scene for a moment where she could reconcile with her detractors and showcase her determination to “rock them” proving that she did have the right stuff starting from the inside out.

Susan’s story coupled with her awe inspiring performance wowed her audience and persuaded them to accept her, celebrate her and share her story around the globe because we’ve all fallen at some point. It then seem quite natural that so many want to share her story as the overwhelming underdog.

Susan is a Cinderella Woman for so many because she offers us a way to prevail in such uncertain times. She is able because of her story to unite the unemployed, the aged, the lonely, the unattractive and the unwanted. Underdogs like Susan Boyle, Paul Potts and Cinderella Man from the Great Depression are often viewed as the crazy ones. What they have in common is an indomitable will to persist and keep telling their story with a smile against all odds just like the the crazy ones did. Here’s to the crazy ones!