Imagine by John Lennon – My Greatest Success Story

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

I started playing this song publicly starting on 9/11/01 – the day that has gone down in as one of the most emotional days in the history of the world.

In this video exactly 10 years later, I was invited to perform in front of a live audience of thousands and an online audience of tens of thousands for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Seattle Center.

Little did I know that a tiny moment in a restaurant ten years prior would lead to me being on stage in front of thousands of people live – and tens of thousands of people broadcast through Peace Day TV on the Internet – I believe we had over 55,000 people watch the live broadcast on the Internet. Later it was re-broadcast in clips for Peace Day and later on the United Nations website for the Day of Peace.

Many times in life we measure our success by money and fame. This success story is about the heart. On 9/11 my heart was opened. When you hear this music you will feel my heart as well. This is really who we are.

My greatest success story isn’t about how much money I made – it is about how many hearts I’ve touched with my music.

It wasn’t until I joined Empower Network that I had the courage to take this video clip that was sitting there on my hard disk and put it ‘out’ there into the world. We often times think we’re not good enough to share who we truly are.

As this video demonstrates – we had over 20x the audience watching the 9/11 concerts on the Internet than were in the stadium itself. Through the power of online video we can reach a much wider audience than we can in person.

If there’s a piano anywhere in Denver at the next big Empower Event I’ll play this song for you. Join me there.

Thank you, John, for inspiring me and millions of people around the world to have a vision of peace.

May the world live as one!