Changing Lives Through Dancing Blog
by David Woodbury of Arthur Murray Santa Monica
Ten years of Arthur Murray in Santa Monica have flown by! Where did they go? Suddenly, we’re hosting our 10-year anniversary party welcoming the Santa Monica Chamber, the City of Santa Monica, Downtown Santa Monica, Staff and Students!
This great celebration has erased my hurt from the past three years. Owning a small business is challenging enough when everything is going great. Add TWO complete shutdowns totaling 185 days closed, well, that’s just too much. Yet, we are still here!
The pandemic changed me. It put life in perspective for me. Somehow, it erased all the hurt and trials that we experienced. I have forgotten all the times our ballroom floor was flooded from the damaged roof. The challenges that we had that seemed to be overwhelming were all erased by the lockdowns.
So, what am I thinking now? The pandemic is in the rear-view mirror now. I know covid is still, and will be here for a while, but I’m not looking back. I’m looking ahead to a bright future.
How did the bad times get expunged from my mind? It’s from the gratitude that I feel for making it that has changed how I feel every day. I’m so thankful when our new and current students come in. I’m just blown away as we see our Arthur Murray Studio growing again and our wonderful staff blossoming and maturing.
How will you live today? How will you see and live your future? For me, I’m done with fear and I now realize fear is an illusion. What I do have control over in my life, I am managing. I’m vowing to do my best with what I have, and to do even better than my best.
We are now looking to the next 10 years and all the new adventures that will come our way. I will stay active until I’m 70, 3 more years, and by then we will have my spot filled by someone just like Joel and like me. Joel and I have always worked our little behinds off and now as owners, we still do the same even to today. We will grow, expand, promote and always seek new talent and exciting people. Joel is a wonderful franchisee and I know that he has a great future with Arthur Murray. He is a true champion.
Oh, by the way, after 70, I’m going to start taking professional lessons again. I must dance for the rest of my life and I’m ready for the future!
Thanks for reading,
David Woodbury