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Life Changing

One of my favorite shows is The Voice. I enjoy seeing people gain the opportunity for a music career who wouldn't have had the chance otherwise. I think it's great that the artists are chosen by the coaches based solely on their voices, and after making a team, their coach does everything they can to make the artists the best they could be. Watching the battle and knockout rounds the past three weeks, I was touched by how much of a connection the coaches had with their artists and how hard it was for them to choose a winner because of it. What I don't enjoy is the attitude of some of the artists prior to their blind audition: "If I turn a chair, it would change my life."

Every single day has the potential to change our lives. In terms of The Voice, I think some of the artists who were rejected the first time they auditioned and returned another season would definitely say that not getting a chair to turn the first time changed their lives because it pushed them to be better. Some of them went quite far in the competition their second time on the show, and in some cases, it may have been farther than they could have gone the first time.

Last month, I was blessed with the opportunity to go and visit the set of a major motion picture and meet the cast and crew of the movie. Winning that trip and having that experience was certainly life-changing, but even if I hadn't won, entering the contest would have changed my life.

To enter this contest, I had donate at least $10 to benefit nine charities, with each dollar earning me 10 entries.  As a result of this fundraising campaign, amazing things happened for those nine charities. One of the nine earned more money in the eight weeks of the campaign than it normally does in an entire year! That is allowing the charity to do things that never would have been possible without this fundraiser. Among the other eight, one can provide 11,000 meals to orphans, one is now able to provide a free year of tutoring to 100 struggling students, and one now has the funds to provide 200 horse-drawn carriage or sleigh rides to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Every single person who entered this contest was a part of making these incredible things happen, and being a part of something this great has changed my life, maybe even more so than winning the trip. Yes, winning the trip was a wonderful experience that I wouldn't trade for anything, but that aspect of the experience only benefitted me and the other winners. What was done as a result of the fundraiser has allowed my small gift to be a part of something that changes the lives of so many people I likely will never meet, but who will have a better life thanks to the generosity of all those who donated to the fundraiser.

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