No 5 Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, February 3, 2017
A solitary fantasy can transform one million realities – Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014) American poet
Do you love to dance? I do. I love to dance in front of hundreds of cheering spectators and I love to perform and especially to excite a crowd through my dancing. It is one of my safe times and places. Dancing in front of any group of people is one of the times in my life where I am most calm and relaxed. No one can hurt or bother or intimidate me. I am dancing to give my heart and soul to all those watching and I am living the dance through and with my partner. It is one of my happy places in life. (Also speaking in front of huge groups excites and electrifies me!)
I am told that what I love is not normal. Most people are afraid of public speaking and dancing in front of a huge group of people. The reason I have heard of most is just plain fear. Fear of failure and of looking bad. I’m not afraid of failure. I’m so busy doing so many things that I always have a little bit of a mess up on something! Here are some great quotes on failing.
“I’ve seen extreme bravery from the least likely of people. Life is about the moments when it’s all gone wrong. That’s when we define ourselves.” – Bear Grylls (1974) star of Man vs. Wild TV show
“In Silicon Valley, failure is experience. Now, if you fail at everything, that’s different. But a failure is a mark of experience more than anything.” – Vint Cerf, One of the Key Creators of the Internet
“A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame someone else.” – John Burroughs (1837 – 1921) American naturalist
“Students gain lasting self-confidence not by being protected from failure but by learning they can survive it.” – Tony Wagner, teacher and author
“A man who makes no mistakes makes nothing.”- Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Saying someone’s name wrong. Making the wrong decision. Going the wrong way. Missing a dance step. Speaking out and regretting it.
Or just plain doing something stupid. It’s going to happen. But if you are trying with all your might to make a difference in life, and living to help others, you’ll do many, many more things wright than wrong in your life. Let go of fear and don’t worry so much about what others are thinking. Guess what? They are just as concerned that you are judging them as you think they are judging you. Kind of funny in a way!
I’ll leave you with this great quote and don’t die without fulfilling your dreams!
It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.” – Dr. Benjamin Mays (1894 – 1984) American humanitarian
Thank you for reading!
David Earl Woodbury
Keep on Dancing!