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2009 has been proclaimed by experts - economists, businesses, politicians, you name it - to be a dismal year. Many have associated their fate to that forecast; many are thankful that their situations do not deteriorate too badly. Just when everyone seems to have given up on 2009, an unemployed and unmarried 47 year-old woman shows us the ray of hope.

Ever since her debut at Britain’s Got Talent 2009, Susan Boyle has energized her skeptical audience into vocal supporters. With her performance being seen for more than 20 million times, the time has come for her to revive her dream of becoming a performer; a dream that she once shelved away.

Like Boyle, you have this burning desire to succeed. You know you have a unique talent. You have a dream but have been put aside. And 2009 is not cooperating too well. You are confused. You are lost. You don’t know where the future lies for you. Well, don’t give up yet. Make 2009 the year of revival.

Quoting from a famous Chinese proverb, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today”, the time for you may just be around the corner. Boyle’s comeback is a great testament that it is never too late to find your talent and use it to define your destiny. With 7 more months to go, you still have an opportunity to alter the course of your life and make this year to be your most memorable one. The power to succeed is within you and is still within your reach!

• Les Miserables (Highlights from the 1987 Original Broadway Cast)
• Piers Morgan on Susan Boyle: ‘She can do whatever she wants now’
• Brother tells how ‘Singing Angel’ was bullied and spent her time in her room listening to Osmond and Grease soundtrack.

This morning, my sister emailed me a link to a very touching video on YouTube. It’s about “Love and Friendship”.

It is a story about how two friends, John Rendall and Anthony Bourke wittingly bought themselves a lion cub from Harrods Department store in London in 1969. They named him, Christian. When Christian grew too big and too costly to preserve at 18 months, the duo decided to send him back into the wilds. They sought the help of George Adamson, the founder of Kenyan Wildlife Sanctuary, who agreed to help rehabilitate Christian into his new environment at Kora National Reserve in Kenya, Africa.

A year later, Rendall and Bourke decided to visit their “son”. Worried that Christian might have integrated into the wilds and not recognized his former owners, Adamson advised them to keep a safe distance. Conventional wisdom will ask you to keep away from wildlife animals, especially when they come lurching towards you. As you would see, the film showed otherwise. Once again, it is a great testament that love knows no boundary and friendships last for a lifetime. Love conquers all.

Christian, The Lion

Related Links to Christian, The Lion

• Christian: The Lion at World’s End DVD
• Christian, The Lion on Wikipedia
• George Adamson with Christian, the lion
• George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust
• Man in ‘hugging’ lion video reveals its secrets

Congratulations Graduates, you have closed a chapter and just to begin with another one soon. Despite the busyness, it is also be one of the most exciting and memorable phase of your life, so enjoy the moment and embrace it fully. I had mine not too long ago…

It was also right at that moment I came across Steve Jobs’ inspirational commencement speech. Consequently, I became interested in reading commencement speeches as a source of inspiration.

To start the ball rolling, let me introduce my collection with a timeless (and world’s shortest) commencement speech by Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of United Kingdom in 1941:

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

I hope you can absorb the value of this speech as much as I do. And if you want to discover more, check out the other commencement speeches here.