Changing Lives through Dancing by David Woodbury
Arthur Murray Santa Monica
As I watched a run through, he asked me my opinion. I said that in the amount of time he had to prepare, that he was doing a great job and how proud I was of him. With not even a thank you or acknowledgement of my compliment, he brushed aside my words and began berating himself and said he was not perfect and was not dancing well.
I waited and said, when you dance with your daughter, she will only be thinking of how great you are. That you are creating a memory for a lifetime. That you took the time to take private dance lessons just to learn the dance just for her. And that the audience will love the presentation (I loved watching him perform the dance).
Then these words flowed out of my mouth, “Be Brave to be OK”. I don’t know where my phrase came from and I had never said that before in my life. These words stopped him in his shoes, and he said that I was right. In his quest for “perfection” he said that Social Media has lied to us. It has led us to believe that perfection is attainable. It was inspired from my heart, soul and spirit.
The truth is that perfection is not attainable and that wholeness is attainable. Through living and being in the moment, we are given the release and freedom from the bonds of perfectionism.
Talk about a crucial conversation. Our student liked the phrase “Be brave to be OK” so much that he called his mother to share with her. We agreed it would be a great blog, and an even better idea for a book!
I wrote all these notes quickly, and even showed them to him. It was a powerful moment of sharing a moving and life-changing thought for the two of us.
What the phrase means is this. It’s OK to be alright. To be less than “perfect”. Yes, the dance I watched our student do was not technically polished. It was and is the most difficult dance and my favorite dance. The timing was new and the steps were fresh.
But the most important thing is how beautiful he looked dancing with his instructor. How elegant he was, how smooth, how proud, how confident he looked as he danced. As I watched, the flaws I saw as a coach vanished, and I was carried away with the magic he showed on the dance floor. From the walkout, to the entrance bow, to the routine and turns, the lovely exit and the elegant walk off the floor, I was taken back.
The most positive thing I could and did say was that his daughter would remember this dance with him for the rest of her life. She would not remember any of the steps, any of the technique, the timing, but she would remember the glorious moments of dancing with her Dad. She would always remember that he did all of this just for her because of how much he loved her.
After sharing all this with him, he quietly bowed his head and said thank you and he agreed that he had learned a beautiful dance and that he was dancing well and that he would have a lovely presentation with her. It was a warm moment of exchange between the two of us and his teacher.
As I go into 2025, I have a goal, “50Books25”. Through an inspirational book I just finished, I read “perhaps you’ll read 50 books in a year!” I had to put the book down and then begin writing and preparing for this goal. Is is soon to be a reality.
I have spent many hours organizing my lists, my physical books, Audible Books, Kindle Books, Google Play Books and many more. I have reached out to 10 close friends who have all given me suggestions. I have subscribed to every book list that I can find, from Bill Gates to Goodreads. I have 3 Google Keep lists. I have a new reading station with a powerful lamp, laptop, Post Notes, pens, paper notebooks and I even have my own library book cart.
My goal is 5 books in January and February, then 4 each month for the rest of 2025. I’m overtaken with excitement and am “getting into reading shape” as we speak.
My other goal is to continue reading and studying about becoming a better writer/blogger. I’ve got the bug after writing hundreds of blogs and being a speaker for many years. I even have my new book outline notes ready to go. I have two published authors who are encouraging me.
In my pocket now is a folded 3X5 card and a pen. I’m ready to write any fresh ideas as they come to me. I keep a pen and paper close to me all the time.
Will I read 50 books? I have it all planned out by month (my essential list is way over 50, and I still have to sort out and add my home library of hardbacks). I will read a spiritual book, a nonfiction, a fiction and a biography each month. Guess what, I found many YouTube videos on reading 50 Books in a Year! I’m not alone and I have some great YouTube mentors who have done this for years and they have great tips.
Needless to say, I am very happy, focused and excited for 2025. I can feel a change coming over me as I type these words. A happy and powerful renewal in my life.
If you have 3-5 good books you’d like me to read, or a list of your top 100, or your favorite lifetime list, please text them to me at 747-900-1016.
Thank you for reading and Keep on Dancing!
“Be Brave to be OK”
David Woodbury
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