She learned how to fail, then pick herself back up and do it again …
Eilleen was born in the tiny town of Timmons, Ontario in Canada. She grew up used to bitter cold and a gnawing stomach. There were days on end when bread and milk was the entire diet for her and her 3 younger siblings. She learned to hide her poverty and hunger from friends at school but it didn’t ease the suffering.
About the only thing that could do that was her music. When life was more than she could handle she would retreat to her bedroom with her guitar, singing and writing until her fingers ached. The music fed her soul even while her stomach was growling.
Her talent was recognized early and this little tomboy was shuttled all over to perform in clubs, bars, and anywhere else they could get her booked to make some extra money. Yet Eilleen never really thought music was her future.
When she could no longer stand the poverty she managed to convince her mother to leave their father and head for Toronto. The shelter they stayed in for a long time provided the first regular meals she had ever experienced.
Eilleen got her first job when she was 14, working at a McDonalds. Later, she spent summers working as the foreman of a dozen-man reforestation crew in the Canadian bush, where she learned to wield an axe and handle a chain saw as well as any man. She was tough because she had to be tough.
Then things got tougher. Both parents were killed in an auto wreck and suddenly she was the parent to her siblings. She managed to survive by getting a job singing at a local resort. The experience was invaluable – giving her exposure to every aspect of theatrical performance. It prepared her for what was to come.
In 1990, her siblings were grown and 23 year old Eillen was on her own. The first thing she did was change her first name to an Ojibway Indian name meaning “I’m on my way”.
Shania Twain was indeed on her way. She has turned the world of Country/Pop music upside down, winning many awards along the way. Unless you live on another planet, you have probably heard of her!
One of her songs really sums it up. She has this to say about the irresistible I’m Gonna Getcha Good! “There is a typical Shania attitude in the lyric, a definite female confidence. It’s all about a girl who knows what she wants, she not only knows how to get it, but she’s going to get it good.”
All of us make a choice everyday how we are going to live our lives. No one would have been surprised if little Eilleen had simply become another person sunk in poverty – trapped by the reality of a hard life.
Shania Twain, however, saw her future differently. She was not content to stay where she was – determined to pay whatever price necessary to achieve her dreams. Each hard thing did nothing but strengthen her resolve and determination, teaching her how to press through to success!
She learned to do the hard things. She learned how to spot opportunity in every situation. She learned how to ask for what she wanted – and just keep asking until she got where she wanted to be. She learned how to fail, then pick herself back up and do it again.
Shania has shown you the way to success. As you create your own success, even out of hardship, remember it too …
