No 24. Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, June 12, 2015
It’s better to Dream and Work.
It is good to dream, but it is better to dream and work. Faith is
mighty, but action with faith is mightier.– Thomas Robert Gaines
I have big dreams. I want Arthur Murray Santa Monica to be a place where all are welcome. I want our
studio to have a very high standard of dance and to be a place where our student can come in and
feel welcome all day. The most important ingredient is our Arthur Murray service that we offer to all who walk in our doors.
Our dreams are big, yet we are making them come alive by lots and lots of hard work and service. Yes, we believe we can achieve our goals with faith, yet our faith is laced with action in every form.
I have resolved from this day on, I will do all the business I can
honestly, have all the fun I can reasonably, do all the good I can
willingly, and save my digestion by thinking pleasantly.
— Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish Novelist
Honestly, reasonably and willingly. These are important ingredients to make it all come together. Being Visible, being Easy, being Useful, being Ready. I live by these four points.
A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.
— English proverb
We are not seeking an easy road or a smooth path. We are seeking to be our best under all circumstances and also training others to know how to be their best. In ballroom dancing, the key is floor time. Dancing as much as you can to get to know the “rules of the road” and how to dance on a crowded floor maintaining floorcraft and poise.
Now that our studio is growing, we are seeing our staff advancing and maturing and seeing achievable goals for themselves in the future. Being able to discover ability in others is the true test in owning a business. How to train the next person to replace you so you may move on to a higher calling and a stronger path is the greatest achievement in any ballroom dance center.
As I write this, I am once again going into new arenas of growth in my own life. I can see the future, and it is a bright one. It is full of great achievements achievable by lots and lots of hard work and perseverance. I am not afraid. I am happy to not be in a rut in my life and lost in a comfort zone that is pulling me down into mediocrity.
Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles but in
avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.
— Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) American Methodist Minister
Bring on the opportunities. Please give me the wisdom to not make too many mistakes and know how to move both forward and backwards with grace and poise. Help me to use the knowledge and common sense that I have, and also to ask help from others.
Remember, you can have it all with hard work, consistent service, and a willingness to help others realized their dreams as they travel with you.
Happy Dancing,
David Woodbury