A Night at the Opera.

This week I spent a few days in Indianola Iowa at the Des Moines Metro Opera. They have a beautiful theatre in which they perform full scale opera with a large orchestra and chorus.  My daughter was performing in Candide and La Bohème and I was able to attend multiple performances.   While I was there, I got a great education in the theatre/opera arts as well as a lesson in overcoming obstacles.

During the Friday night performance of Candide, one of the main characters came onstage after a costume change.  As she started singing her scene, the side zipper of her costume completely ripped open.  Her pink bra and entire side were exposed to the audience, so she quickly made a parting comment and hurried back off of the stage. That left the audience and the actors standing awkwardly by while the costumers backstage tried to put her dress back together.  The orchestra played the same bars of music over and over and the actors onstage made a few jokes to lighten the mood.  The actress with the ripped dress called out from the wings that she was “so close!” and “almost ready!”; the audience laughed and played along, and the other singers waited patiently for her to return to the stage to continue the opera. 

Once she was back on stage with a table cloth pinned around her to cover her damaged dress (yep, that was the best they could do), she continued the performance with a few new jokes woven into the story about her unfortunate dress.  This grand production that the team of artists had worked on for weeks, fell prey to one defective zipper. The show carried on and was more warmly received than the previous night’s performance.

Watching this unfold, I was reminded that life is full of obstacles and we all fall victim to unexpected circumstances.  So how can we take a lesson from this opera singer and continue to perform in spite of our challenges? 

Don’t get caught up in the mental drama that your mind will create around a challenge.  Try to gain perspective either by taking some time to explore options or talking to another person that is not emotionally involved with your obstacle.  Getting outside perspective is a great way to keep your mind from indulging in stressful drama.

Focus on solutions and resources needed to address your obstacle.   Often times an obstacle presents that revolves around a lack of resources.  If you focus your attention on understanding what is needed, then take steps to acquire those resources, you will start to chip away at the obstacle and get closer to a solution.  

Author Jeff Olson writes in The Slight Edge: “There are going to be all types of obstacles placed in front of you during your lifetime. And you can determine the size of a person by the size of the problem that keeps them down. Successful people look at a problem and see opportunity.”

Develop a growth mindset, be strong and don’t quit.  Most people do not overcome their obstacles because they feel inadequate.  Having mental strength and resilience when you tackle a problem will get you over your hurdles and propel you to success. 

Overcome your obstacles and continue to sing!

Dr. Julie Cappel



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