“I feel like wine that’s gotten better with age.”
Celine Dion

It’s always fun and instructive to read about artists at the top of their game who still give their all to each and every performance. It shows such discipline and respect for their audience — qualities that are also surely at the heart of our success as writers.

My friend and mentor Rob Gilbert tells a great story about Bruce Springsteen. Someone once asked “the Boss” how he managed to achieve such high wattage each time he took the stage. Bruce answered that he performed each show as if it was his first and he also tried to remember that it was just music, so he could lighten up and have fun.

Reading about Celine Dion’s return to the stage reminded me of Bruce’s comment. Just a few months after she gave birth to twins, she’s mounting a major show in Las Vegas called “Celine.” It’s a follow up to a fantastically successful 700+ performance extravaganza called “A New Day.”

Even though she could afford to coast at this point in her career, one reporter noted Celine’s “almost rookie-like dedication to preparation.” According to her husband, she rehearsed before every one of the 700+ performances of “A New Day.” “At the end, she certainly didn’t have to, but she did,” he adds. Now that’s discipline!

She’s bringing the same commitment and respect for her audience to her new show. During a rehearsal, she sang one song with so much emotion that it brought tears to her eyes and had those attending raving about her performance. Giving your best — on the stage or on the page — that’s where we all want to be.

Two things struck me most in reading about Celine’s comeback: her enthusiasm and her desire to grow and evolve artistically. ”I’d love to learn to read and write music,” she said in an interview. …And I still want to act. I want to play Maria Callas. Maybe one day I’ll hear, ‘And the Oscar goes to…’” Hard work, passion, dedication, and big dreams — now that’s a recipe for success!