If your dreams are in need of a bit of a boost, check out this video of Melissa Lawson, a 32-year-old mother of five who always wanted to be a singer, and the 2008 Nashville Star winner.

In the video, she’s singing her new single on the Today Show in Beijing during the Olympics. The song is What If It All Goes Right?, written by John Rich.

By the way, Melissa lost 70 pounds during the taping of Nashville Star.

John Rich · losing weight · Melissa Lawson · Nashville Star · Today Show · what it it all goes right

When people asked me what I wore to write, I used to have an easy answer: whatever I have on. Jeans, cut-offs, a T-shirt, possibly pyjamas and a housecoat. Whatever. I mean, who’s going to see me, right? I’m sitting alone at a computer desk in my house. A New York publisher is unlikely to walk by.

My normal companion is my dog, and all she cares about is whether or not we have enough food and cookies and popcorn and water to last the day, and whether or not I’ll remember to take her for a walk and make certain she gets her after-walk treat. And, oh, yeah, what did she do with that cool squeaky toy she had just a minute ago? Ah, there it is. Nope. She’s not thinking about what clothes I have on or whether I’ve forgotten to comb my hair.

My husband is in the house, upstairs at his computer. He’s worked from home for quite a few years now, and revels in the fact that he no longer has to go to the office in a navy suit with a shirt and tie. He wears shorts, perhaps jeans if it’s way below zero outside, and a T-shirt. So he doesn’t exactly get upset with me if I don’t look spectacular. In fact, a couple of Olympics ago, he was at “work” in his home office at six AM on a worldwide call with people from Japan, Europe, the US and South America. One of our sons looked in, saw his dad sitting in his bathrobe with his feet up on his desk, his coffee at his fingertips, and the Olympics on TV, all while he talked on the phone and manipulated his computer mouse. And said, “I think I want your job.” Nope, my husband doesn’t care. Dressing down is the norm in my house.

And yet, a couple of months ago, I decided to change my lifestyle. When I get up, I dress in appropriate clothes for the treadmill or going outside for a walk. Then I have breakfast and do any necessary household chores. Then I dress for work and walk upstairs to my writing office.

If you’d been able to look into my office this week, you’d have seen the following:

Monday – okay, it was a holiday here, so I wore a yellow sleeveless cotton top with a pair of black cotton capris, low black strappy sandals, and yellow earrings.

Tuesday – I opted for black office-style capris, a purple deep V cotton top with winged sleeves, purple sandals with a kitten heel, and purple/silver earrings and necklace.

Wednesday – short-sleeved V-neck full-skirted dress (just below the knee) with black polka dots, black and red earrings, black sandals with a 2-inch heel

Today – blue/brown/turquoise print wrap dress (just above the knee) with brown jewelry and brown platform sandals.

Say what? Why go to all the trouble of dressing up to sit at a computer desk?

Has my dog noticed the change? She hasn’t indicated anything to me. Where’s my food? and What did I do with my toys? still seem to be her primary concerns.

Has my husband commented? Well, he did notice the bills from the stores where I’ve been shopping. But I assured him everything was on sale. Other than that, I don’t think it’s bothered him. I do have a sneaky suspicion he actually likes it, but he hasn’t actually said so. Could be after nearly 36 years together he’s used to my getting “ideas.”

As for me…well, "I feel pretty, oh so pretty…" Okay, I have to confess. Over the last few years, I’ve watched TLC’s What Not to Wear a gazillion times.

I’ve watched it partly because I’ve always been interested in clothes and dressing well. After all, my dad owned a clothing store, so fashion is kind of in my blood. I spent hours and hours designing clothes for my dolls. I even considered become a dress designer when I was trying to decide where to go to university. I used to help people figure out their colours. I mean, this stuff really interests me. I even managed to include a makeover in my first mystery! Hmm. Now that I think about it, there are actually two makeovers in my second mystery! (And neither one was planned.)

But fashion fun aside, the really reason I watch What Not to Wear is because I love seeing people transformed. I love seeing their eyes light up and begin to sparkle. I love seeing them walk with confidence, glad to be who they are. And while I know there are hurts and needs that can’t possibly be resolved with new clothes and a better haircut, I also know that one’s appearance needs to be part of any meaningful change.

So I decided to try an experiment. I decided to dress as if I was actually going to a creative, dynamic office – the kind of office I’d like to be a part of. And after a month, I’d look back and evaluate the process and see if I could see a change in me.

Stay tuned for my conclusions.

Clinton Kelly · clothes · fashion · self-esteem · Stacy London · TLC's what not to wear · what do writers wear · what not to wear · what to wear

First off, if you don’t already know this, I’m a huge baseball fan – and since they appeared on the horizon – a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays. But I’m also a big, big fan of the concept of teamwork – anywhere from two to thousands of people who work together for the sake of a common goal. And I’ve learned a few things about teamwork from the Toronto Blue Jays, and more specifically, from Cito Gaston. As manager, Cito led the Blue Jays to two World Series rings and other great finishes, but he rarely got the credit for his accomplishments. What you inevitably heard was, "With that team and those players, anybody could have won." Not. I’m so pleased that Cito has been given another chance to do his thing with the Blue Jays. And it’s working. Even watching on TV, you can see the players becoming a team, and not just a group of skilled players. So what are the secrets of building a team? What does Cito do? 1 Builds people’s confidence by working with them individually to improve their skills. He treats each player as a unique person rather than treating everyone the same. Another coach who was lauded for doing that was the Chicago Bull’s renowned coach, Phil Jackson. 2. Builds a core team. In this case, Cito brought with him loyal coaches whom he’s worked with before, and who are on the same wavelength he is. Players are saying,"It doesn’t matter who we talk to, they tell us the same thing." 3. Identifies potential. Cito has given long-term opportunities to several players who were either floundering before or weren’t even on the radar. He doesn’t put them in one game and expect them to show their stuff under high pressure, but trusts them enough to let them get comfortable. 4. Bring hope that if people work together and follow his lead, things will improve. And hope brings confidence, and well-placed confidence brings positive results. And positive results bring excitement. And excitement brings courage, which leads to the desire to perform better than ever before. And that desire typically leads to success. Doesn’t sound like rocket science, does it? And yet all are crucial steps to building a successful team of any kind. Wouldn’t it be great if we were all part of a team led by such a coach?

Blue Jays · building a team · Cio Gaston · coaching · Leadership · team-building · Toronto Blue Jays

Okay, I stayed up last night to watch the crowning of the Nashville Star, NBC-style. After all, I’m a country music fan. This show should be for me, right?

Only it (and the rest of the shows this season) wasn’t really for me at all. In fact, I’m not sure who it was for.

I think the problem arose when some suit-wearing people in offices in a big city tried to come up with a plan for what people who buy country music CDs and attend county music conferences might want. And them someone said they needed to also try to attract new fans, especially younger people. And from there it spun away into – we’re not quite sure what. All I know is that very few of the people who ended up on Nashville Star had any appeal for me or other country music fans I know.

It was a bit like taking a nice glass of orange juice and diluting it with a bunch of water and then adding some apple juice and maybe a little bit of coffee, and saying, “There, isn’t that better?” Uh, no. I wanted orange juice. 100%. With pulp. Period.

Now I have nothing against the people who made it onto the show. They’re just looking for that big break we’d all love to get. You know, the one in that dream you’ve had more than once where you’re just standing in line at Walmart and a stranger with a notepad comes up to you and says, “We’ve filming a movie just down the street and we need some extras. Would you come?” And as you start talking, he goes, “You know, forget the extra bit. I think you’re perfect for this role we’ve been having trouble casting. It’s one of the leads…” Sure, we’d all love to be there.

But you know it’s not going to happen. But when you want to sing, you go and audition and hope for the best. But the people who wound up actually getting picked to be on Nashville Star should have been the people who had what it takes – i.e. those who auditioned who could (and given the choice, would) actually sing country music – and sing it well!

I shouldn’t be watching the final show wondering about the song choices and worrying that the finalists are going to mess up. That doesn’t tend to happen on American or Canadian Idol. It doesn’t even happen on CMT Canada ’s Karaoke Star (which had some amazing talent just from BC)!

Don’t get me wrong. I wish Melissa and her family all the best. And Gabe and Shawn too. And all the other finalists. And I sincerely hope there’s another Nashville Star next year. I’ve been a fan since season 1 (and BTW, I still think 1 and 2 were the best produced).

But please, whoever is wearing those suits in the offices, get it right next time! Give us country music singers: young or old, thin or not-so-thin, American or Canadian or Irish or… as long as they are country!

And now – Are you kidding me? My mailman just this minute brought me a package and – Yes! It’s Buddy Jewell’s latest CD – Country Enough. Yeah!!!!! (Thanks, Nashville Star Season 1 for letting me find out about Buddy!)

Buddy Jewell · country enough · country music · Karaoke Star 2008 · Melissa Lawson · Nashville Star · NBC