12 Success Lessons From A Nun's Killer Audition On The Voice

On one rare occasion, a nun joined The Voice and she set the stage on fire. She bombarded the platform with grit and talent, and when they turned around, oh boy... ...all four judges' jaws dropped! Their mouths flung wide open, and, you just knew they said--AAhhh... Why, they couldn't believe what they saw. Oh yes, she wowed the audience, too. She got a standing ovation right on the first line of her song. No wonder, her YouTube video went viral almost instantly garnering nearly 25 million views upon hitting the Web.

Of course, her fellow nuns cheered for joy when they saw all the judges' chairs turned! With Sister Cristina Scuccia's killer audition, The Voice will never be the same again. First, it's the first time that a true blue nun joined the show, ever. Second, she absolutely nailed the auditions. Due to this spectacular event, Lifehack wants to explore the lessons you can learn from it. You can watch the killer audition here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpaQYSd75Ak

Who says you can't grab some success lessons from a talent search show? You can! Here they are:

#1. Be true to yourself – Be who you are; don't pretend to be somebody else. Sister Cristina wore the uniform of the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family when she sang, and this added up to her appeal. She could have worn flashy clothes like the other contenders, but that would have made her look like everybody else. And that could have gotten her minus points instead of plus points.

• Never be afraid of showing your true colors.

#2. Stand out from the crowd – Because she wore a religious habit, she has differentiated herself from the rest of the contestants. This decision made her stood out from the crowd.

• Whatever your line, you can get closer to success once you can identify what separates you from your countless competitors. The earlier you can do this, the better. Upon realizing that special quality that sets you apart, the closer you'll get to reaching your goals.

#3. Use startling contrast to make an impact – she did not sing a religious piece, or something from a well known opera, a ballad, or any classical number, she has chosen an upbeat song by Alicia Keys. The stark contrast brought about by her personality and the type of her audition piece engrossed the crowd and the judges no end.

• Use contrast effectively in your career. It works.

#4. Deliver the goods – She has the essentials. She delivered the goods once she hit the stage. She sang up a storm, she's got the moves, and she hit the high notes with ease. Even if she could not cover the first 3 lessons (just in case), because of her singing chops, without a doubt, she's in and she's surely a star in the making; being trained by a big name, former rapper, J-Ax.

• Whatever industry you belong to, the most important factor is: you deliver the goods. Give what your customers need, and you'll succeed.

#5. Use novelty – They have never seen a nun perform on The Voice before. By this fact alone, the impact was huge!

• No matter what business you're in, or career you maintain, novelty can help. Always come up with fresh ideas; they always make wonders. Heck, they even bring in fresh moola.

#6. An element of surprise goes a long way – Everyone was surprised to see someone garbed in a black religious habit with a silver cross performing a hit song on The Voice.

• Take the cue--surprise your customers, your audience, or your company. It will surely go a long, long way.

#7. Dogged Determination – Based on what Sister Cristina has shown on stage, she undeniably has the determination to pursue what she wants. She took her vows as a nun, yet she continues to pursue her passion for singing.

• Develop strong determination to fulfill your dreams. Tell yourself, no matter what, you will keep on reaching for your goals until you'll succeed.

#8. Focusing on what is essential – The voice is otherwise known as "The blind auditions". You don't need anyone to tell you that the main thing the show is looking for is: superb singing ability. The nun has it; actually, she got tons of it. And that's enough. Also, it's implied, looks is not essential. It's immaterial; however, in this case, her looks during the round of auditions subsequently enhanced her appeal.

• Relating this to running a business, or nurturing a career, focusing on the essentials is paramount to your success. Although, a bit of other elements can spice things up, and sometimes can make way for a speedier route to success.

#9. Preparation – With her stellar performance, it’s obvious, she had serious preparation. Based from the research we have done, Sister Cristina Scuccia sings regularly in church and has performed in other TV shows several times. This experience has prepared her thoroughly for the nerve-wracking auditions on The Voice. Besides, her amazing performance points to an evident and serious preparation.

• In any kind of endeavor, preparation paves the way for excellent execution of steps towards attaining ideals.

#10. Practice makes perfect – One of my favorite quotes is:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~Aristotle.

She practiced singing everyday since primary school. She continued on and intensified her routine prior to hitting the stage of The voice.

• Practice pays. Her performance is a proof.

#11. Have a noble goal – When ask why she joined The voice — she replied, she was there to evangelize.

• A noble goal will catapult you to higher levels of success. It will drive you to perform much better. A smaller scale goal will not have the same impact.

#12. Believe you can be victorious – She believes she has a gift and that she wants to share it with all of us. She believes she can sing otherwise she would not take great efforts to join the competition. She believes she can win, in fact, she told the TV audience, whoever will turn around first, that will be the judge she will choose. So, all along she believed she could be victorious.

• Likewise in your business, or chosen career, believe that you can succeed, and you will.