Beverley East, Contributor

Jennifer Hudson

When I was a child I use to play the game 'Simon says' 'Simon says put your hand on your head,' and you did it. 'Simon says spin around three times on one leg, and you did it and so the game continued until you were out. Nowadays the biggest reality show in television history is American Idol.

I couldn?t help myself, but I was glued to the set watching the rising star Jennifer Hudson pick up an abundance of awards after being voted off American Idol and Simon said, ?You are out of your depth. What are you saying now Simon? Now that Jennifer Hudson has picked up an Oscar for best supporting actress in her first movie role, when veterans like Peter O'Toole have failed to receive an Oscar in a career spanning over 60 years or more.

Jennifer also won a Golden Globe, an NAACP Image Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, to name but a few. This dream girl is only 25. Her opening speech when she went on-stage at the Oscars was, See what God can do?? Giving Him all the glory while other awardees remember to throw in the God bit somewhere along their long-winded speeches after thanking their stylists, lawyers, agents, wives and children.

My heart sings with pride for her as if she were my own flesh and blood. As I walked through the airport last week Jennifer Hudson's beautiful face was on every magazine cover from Vogue to Essence to Entertainment Weekly. I bet Simon is eating humble pie now. The moral of my story is don?t let anyone create your destiny by his or her perception of you. Suppose this young woman had listened to what Simon had said? ? his voice in her head making her second guess herself.

True glory

However, he, and America did Jennifer a favour by voting her off the show so she could move forward in her true glory and step into her greatness. If she had won American Idol she probably would not have had an opportunity to audition for Dreamgirls acting beside Beyonc?, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Fox. There she was this unknown person, her name not even noticeable on the billboard; now the cast has to step aside and make room for her. If you know you have real talent or a real gift, continue to pursue it. This does not just apply only to singing, but to every aspect of your life. Don?t let anyone ever tell you, you cannot do something. Nurture your passion, feed it, improve it, seek out the resources that you need to let it shine.

Take a leap of faith and walk, skip, run your path to progress and success. Now the road may not always be a straight road, it will have some detours, valleys and gullies, challenges, but you have to continue non-the-less.

Don't sit around

Sometimes the workplace environment doesn?t lend itself for us to achieve and propel our careers in the areas that we need to develop an managers and supervisors are supposed to assist you with your growth, don?t sit around waiting for them to assist you.

You have to be proactive in your quest for having the career you want. Some bosses may never see it fit to send you on the training that you need or want, encourage you to go back to school or even give you the adequate time to do so. But it is your job to carve your career. Each year, within a six month period, you must promise yourself that you are going to take one step forward to do what needs to be done to get you where you want to be. No one is responsible for your career other than you. No one cares about your career but you, no one can make it happen but you.

So the next time someone smirks at you when you have a dream, a desire to step out into your greatness, don?t allow that dream to die, don?t allow doubt to swallow up your dream. Just keep stepping, don?t try to validate or explain or wait for permission to go. Just do It. It?s your time to shine.