No 30 Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, July 22, 2016
“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope.”- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British Politician
I found out that I’m a bit old fashioned. I arrive at the Arthur Murray Dance Center of Santa Monica every day with a new sense of hope and knowing that each day is a fresh and exciting opportunity for growth and success. I’m filled with light and look forward to the promise of doing my best in every area of my life. I have passion, vision, and feel it is an honor to be dancing for so many years with Arthur Murray.
Someone told me I was “the exception” to today’s world. They said I was not like the normal crowd. I listened with wide eyes and a sinking heart. Their words surprised me. This is why. I was always told “Surround yourself with people you want to become like” in every way. And as of today, my immediate circle of mentors are the great people, the visionaries, the leaders, the trainers, the givers and organizers. The dreamers and the people who are passionate about life and they have a white hot passion for what they do. That is my circle of life.
Not in my past 41 years of dancing was I ever told that I could not do something. Yes, I was told my Tango was bad and I did a bad Swing, but I fixed those problems. I have been corrected in many ways over the years, but was never taught that failure was an option. My heroes in life have always guided me and directed me to success in every area of the dance world.
“To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.” – Bette Davis (1908 – 1989) American Actress
“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” – Leo Jozef Cardinal Suenens (1904 – 1996) Belgian Archbishop
To be given the freedom and the opportunity of having career where I get to be creative every day, grow as a leader and as a teacher, be a mentor to others, share knowledge with others, these have all been my bread and butter in my career. Imagine that my job title is to inspire others and to always think on how to be better and more creative. On top of that, I am surrounded with likeminded friends who collaborate and we create the “Master Mind” that we use for ultimate success!
“Man has never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.” – Bernard Williams (1929 – 2003) English Philosopher
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’”– George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) Irish Playwright
Many times in my life, including now, I am dreaming big things that are often hard and require herculean effort. But I have my dad’s constitution and my mother’s emotional power and I am wired for a strong human spirit.
“The three great essentials to achieving anything worthwhile are; first, hard work, second, stick-to-it-iveness, and third, common sense.” – Thomas A. Edison (1847 – 1931) American Inventor
Let’s use these three ingredients and see what happens to make our dreams come true:
Hard work. Show up, do your best, seek to do more, help others!
Stick-to-it-iveness. Don’t give up. Quit complaining. Count your blessings. Keep on!
Common sense. This is my motto: “It will get better”. Make good choices and seek wisdom.
Drill through the rock of inertia and get moving, get going, turn your dreams into reality!
Keep On Dancing!
David Woodbury
DavidEarlWoodbury@gmail.com (email me if you like my blogs!)