“However heavy the odds against you or however difficult the circumstances, you should never accept defeat but continue working until you achieve what you seek to attain in life.” –author unknown
Have you gotten so caught up in life and in making a living that you’ve put your dreams on the back burner, or forgotten your dreams altogether? Or perhaps you never even took the time to dream.
Several months ago I was watching the Oprah show and saw the inspiring story of a man from the Phillipines named Arnel Pineda (born September 5, 1967). Arnel’s journey is truly a rags-to-riches story. He is now the lead singer of the legendary rock band “Journey.” He was discovered on Youtube.
Arnel Pineda singing Don’t Stop Believing
Arnel Pineda’s journey:
“Arnel Pineda says he began performing when he was a young boy in the Philippines. His mother and father, both tailors, recognized his talent early on and encouraged him to enter singing competitions.
Then, when Arnel was 13 years old, his mother died after a long illness. The family was left bankrupt, and Arnel was forced to fend for himself. “I would hang out with my friends, so they would make me sing in exchange for food,” he says.
Eventually, Arnel became homeless. He slept on park benches in and around Manila and collected scrap metal to earn enough money for food.
After years of struggling, Arnel started singing to earn a living. He jumped from band to band and lived paycheck to paycheck. Then, one of his shows was uploaded to YouTube. The rest, as they say, is rock ‘n’ roll history.
Meanwhile,
In the ’80s and ’90s, Journey dominated the charts. They have sold more than 70 million records and filled stadiums across the country. Then, in 1996, lead singer Steve Perry left the band.
For more than 10 years, the band struggled to find a singer who could recreate Steve’s distinctive sound. “It’s a tenor voice, with soul and emotion,” guitarist Neal Schon says.”
In 2007 —
“When it was time for JOURNEY to look for a new lead singer, the internet came to their rescue. Guitarist Neal Schon wanted someone new to the music business, so he turned to YouTube. After finding Arnel singing “Faithfully,” he knew he had found the perfect frontman.
“I was frustrated about not having a singer,” explains guitarist Neal Schon, “so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours. I was starting to think I was never going to find anybody. But then I found The Zoo and I watched a bunch of different video clips that they had posted. After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true. I thought, ‘he can’t be that good.’ But he is that good, he’s the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn’t sound synthetic and he’s not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter.”
Arnel Pineda picks up the story: “My friend Noel picked up the message on YouTube and told me it was from Neal. I thought it was a hoax so I ignored it. Noel said, ‘what if it really was Neal and he wanted to offer you the chance of a lifetime?’ So I e-mailed Neal back and the rest is history.”
Arnel Pineda Journey CBS News Sunday Morning
Pineda’s rags-to-riches story has inspired many people around the world. His life story will be made into a film titled “Don’t Stop Believing: Every Man’s Journey.” I think the biopic will hit the big screen next year.
See the 13 minute trailer (short film) here:
http://www.everymansjourney.com/
If you don’t yet know what your dream is — go find it! If you have a dream — go for it!
Don´t stop believin
Hold on to that feelin´
Don´t stop!
Your messages are always delivering the inspiration I need “just in time.” Thank you!
S: Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and for leaving this nice comment. It makes my heart smile to know that you find some inspiration from the messages on this blog. Take care, A.
Nice song and story. This was one of the first rock songs I ever heard after I came to Canada. Someone gave our family a tape called Hits Express with this as the second song on side two. I remember it as if it were yesterday.