Believe to your soul...

If Taylor Hicks has one word to live by, I think it is…

Believe.

At the end of his autobiography, “Heart Full of Soul,” Taylor describes 10 songs that mean a lot to him. His last selection is “I Believe to my Soul” by his idol, Ray Charles.

“This is my last selection in my Top 10, but it’s the number one message I want you to take from my story. Believe in yourself. Believe to your soul. Be confident. As Joe Namath once said, ‘When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.’

“If you believe in yourself, anything that comes your way—good, bad, or really ugly—can’t knock you too far off track. Believing in yourself is the thing—sometimes the only thing—that will carry you through any situation.”

It’s so easy to get knocked off track. So much is going on around us. Many people face this new year with little more than their beliefs. A formidable future lies in front of them just as it did for Taylor Hicks, the young blue-eyed-soul singer who had already traveled a challenging road when he wrote “Heart Full of Soul” at the young age of 31.

As I was thinking about these words, I picked up the unopened mail on my desk. I opened the first Christmas card. It had only one word on the front…

”Believe.”

It didn’t tell me what to believe or in whom to believe…just to “believe.”

What I believe is that we are stronger than we know. We can find the strength to do what we must. In the words of a popular little toy…”I think I can, I think I can.” There in lies our grit and resolve and our success. We may believe in ideals, a higher power, or other people. Not until we believe in ourselves can we persevere, prosper and achieve our dreams.

In the words of the French poet and novelist, Anatole France, “To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe.”

Taylor Hicks dreamed and acted and planned. He also believed. He believed in his music and never gave up. Now, he is living his dream.

If Taylor Hicks has three words to live by, I think they are…

“Don’t stop believing...”

Happy holidays and may you believe in the best for the coming year!