XX. FRANK SINATRA CANNOT SING ...

          In the bestselling book by Kitty Kelly - " His Way : The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra ", an interesting anecdote showed Frank's true character as an aspiring singer who sincerely wanted to improve his craft. Sinatra had been unsuccessfully hopping from one night spot to another for about ten years in his early career as a professional singer, hoping for a talent scout to give him a much needed break. 

         Then one night, a voice teacher spotted him, listening how well he was able to dish out some ballads, decided to wait for him to give Frank a piece of advice. The voice teacher told Frank that he has a good voice but he still doesn't know how to sing. Instead of feeling offended, Frank decided to heed the old man's advice and took singing lessons.
He developed his own style, dropping the Bing Crosby songs and later became a bigger star his idol. And the rest is history ...

                Frank Sinatra did stop there, even when he was lording it over in the music world he was still open to some suggestions. He acted on movies and starred in most of them but willingly played supporting lead to Burt Lancaster in the movie " From Here to  Eternity" where he won the Oscar Award. His career also suffered some downturns that he decided to have a friend compose a song " My Way " as farewell to his fans but instead revived his stars in Hollywood.  He was an example of a star who never rested on his laurels, lived his life the way he wanted, gave some and took some, for the betterment of his goals.

          Criticisms -  solitary shots should be ignored, but when they come from several directions, its time to pay attention. As someone once said : " If one calls you a donkey, ignore him !  If two calls you a donkey, check your hoof prints.  If three call you a donkey, get a saddle. " ( from Marshall Shelley ).

Here are some interesting food for thought about criticisms :

" The trouble with an "open Mind", of course, is that people will insist on coming along 
   and try to put things in it. "    
                                                                       -- Terry Pranchett

" Most people don't mind criticisms, as long as its about someone else. "
                                                                       -- Susan Weiner

" If you accept the expectations of others, especially the negative ones, then you will
   never change the outcome. "
                                                                        -- Michael Jordan

" Critics are like eunuchs - they how it is done, they see how it is done, but they just
   can't do it. "                                                 

" Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes."
                                                                        -- Antisthenes