Paul grew up in a tough city, and was known to get into trouble at school. At age 14, he had a tragic family experience that rocked his world. His grandfather had died, but while Paul’s family was attending the funeral, his mother suffered a brain aneurysm and she died as well. This was more than a young boy could take, and he fell into a severe state of depression.
Paul’s father struggled to raise
his son alone as he dealt with his own sense of loss. He became so bitter that he would often convey
to Paul that he shouldn’t even bother having dreams because they would only
lead to disappointment. Strangely, his
father’s negative outlook on life had the opposite effect on Paul. Seeing his father in such a state stirred
Paul’s ambitions, drew him out of his depression, and fueled his desire to begin
dreaming… big.
Paul escaped the pessimistic
atmosphere of his home by hanging out with his friends on the street
corner. They formed a little gang and
gave each other nicknames; anything to separate themselves from their given
names and home lives. One was called
“Goose,” and another went by “Strongman.”
One friend’s face was so sharp and angular that they called him “Edge,” and
Paul’s nickname was a joke on the Latin term for “good voice.”
At 16, Paul saw an ad that his
classmate Larry posted at school. Larry
was looking to put together a band to play cover songs from groups like the
Rolling Stones. Showing up to audition along
with a few of his friends, Paul said he could play guitar, but during the tryout
it became obvious he couldn’t. None of
the kids had much talent, and really, they were just looking to get off the
streets and do something fun. They
decided to let Paul sing, though at first he really wasn’t very good at that
either.
It didn’t take long for the bandmates
to get better and for Paul to find his voice.
He learned to sing with such passion that his nickname ceased to be a
joke. “Good Voice” in Latin translates
to “Bonovox,” which his friends later shortened to simply Bono. The band evolved to become U2, and, in a few
short years, Paul went from a scrappy kid growing up in northern Dublin to lead
singer of the most famous band ever to come out of Ireland.
Bono married his high school girlfriend
at 22, and they took a mission trip to Africa a few years later, where they
spent a month in Ethiopia doing charity work. He had really long hair at the time, and the Ethiopian
kids would call him, “the girl with the beard.”
Finally, when he was preparing to leave the country, a man approached
him and asked if Bono would take his baby back to Ireland to live with him. He
pleaded that the baby had a greater chance of survival anywhere else. Unable to take someone else’s baby, Bono said
no, but the experience affected him deeply.
He reflected on the plight of the people in Africa, and became
determined that a person’s living or dying should not be decided by where that
person lives in the world.
Bono decided to trade his
currency as a celebrity to become a humanitarian. Over the last 25 years, Bono has used his
‘good voice’ for a greater cause, embracing the Live to Give mindset and
impacting cultures and causes all over the world. He has been nominated for the Nobel Prize
three times, was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, was knighted by the
Queen, and in 2005 was awarded “one wish to change the world” by the TED
organization.
Bono continued to follow his
passions as well. In addition to being
awarded more than 22 Grammy awards and being inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, U2 recently earned a Golden Globe and an Oscar Nomination for
their original song, Ordinary Love,
in honor of Nelson Mandela. Reportedly,
Mandela was able to hear the song a week before he died.
One person has the power to do a
lot of good. First step: Become empowered. Second step: Empower others. Ask yourself, “What’s one thing I can do today
to ensure I’m pursuing my passions and on my way to living my dreams? What’s the one thing I can do today to make a
difference in the lives of others?” It’s
time to find your voice and sing.
Until next week…
Live Your Dreams,
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