The Price Behind the Performance
Success is often the part people see; sacrifice is the part they don’t.
Bernard Kelvin Clive
Personal Branding Coach, Trainer, and Amazon Bestselling Author
View author profileAug 11·191views·4 min read
Opinion
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Some time ago, I watched I Am: Céline Dion, a documentary about the life, career and health struggles of the legendary singer.
For many years, Céline Dion toured the world, singing, dancing and delivering powerful performances before thousands of people. The audience saw the beautiful dresses, the lights, the movement and the voice. They saw the finished performance. What they did not always see was the price she sometimes paid behind the scenes.
Céline revealed that there were moments when she struggled to control her voice. During a concert in Germany in 2008, she discovered that her voice could not move the way it normally did. She still had an audience waiting. People had bought tickets, travelled from different places and made sacrifices to see her perform. Somehow, the show had to continue, even if it had to be shortened.
At other times, she found ways to manage the situation. She allowed the audience to sing portions of the songs. Sometimes technical problems became an explanation for what was happening. She also relied on medication to help her continue performing, something she later admitted had become dangerous.
The audience saw Céline Dion.
They did not always see the struggle behind Céline Dion.
They heard the powerful voice, but they did not know what it sometimes took to release that voice. They applauded the beautiful performance, but they did not see every painful decision, every difficult moment and every sacrifice made backstage.
The documentary reminded me of something that happened recently while I was recording one of my audiobooks.
I had only two tracks left to complete. They were probably the final two chapters of the book, and the production team needed me to finish them so we could meet the deadline. Then I noticed that my voice was beginning to fail me.
I was losing the strength and clarity I needed to complete the recording.
Stopping at that point would mean returning another day, trying to recreate the same tone, energy and rhythm. It could delay the entire production. The team was ready. The equipment was ready. The deadline was close. The only thing struggling was my voice.
As I stood there trying to gather enough strength to complete those final tracks, I remembered Céline Dion.
Of course, my experience cannot be compared with the severity of her health condition. But for a moment, I understood something about the hidden price behind every finished performance.
People will eventually hear the audiobook. They may listen while driving, resting, exercising or travelling. They may be encouraged by an idea or transformed by a chapter. But they may never know what it took to finish those final recordings.
They will hear the finished voice.
They will not hear the struggle behind the voice.
This happens in many areas of life. We admire the speaker on the stage, but we do not see the years of preparation. We celebrate the author when the book is published, but we do not see the sleepless nights, the rewrites and the rejected drafts. We praise the business owner when the company succeeds, but we do not see the seasons when salaries had to be paid while the owner went without.
Behind many excellent performances is a price somebody quietly paid.
There are moments when you must push a little further. There are times when you must hold on long enough to complete what you started. You may feel tired, uncomfortable or discouraged, but the work in your hands still matters. Someone may be waiting to hear your message, read your book, attend your class, experience your service or benefit from the solution you are creating.
However, sacrifice must also walk with wisdom. Paying the price does not mean destroying yourself to prove that you are committed. Céline Dion’s story also teaches us what can happen when pain is hidden for too long and the body is repeatedly pushed beyond its limits.
There is a time to press through, and there is a time to pause.
There is a time to complete the final two chapters, and there is a time to protect the voice that will be needed for many more books.
The real question is not simply whether you are willing to suffer. The question is whether you are willing to make the right sacrifices for the impact you desire.
What comfort are you willing to give up?
What discipline are you willing to maintain?
What preparation are you willing to make when nobody is watching?
What price are you willing to pay to place your best work before the people who need it?
The crowd may never know the whole story. The reader may never see the difficult nights. The listener may never hear the weakness that came before the final recording.
They may only experience the finished work.
So give your best. Press through when the moment requires courage. Rest when wisdom demands it. Protect the gift while still putting it to work.
Great impact often carries a price.
Pay the right price to rise.