No 46. Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, November 20, 2015
Perseverance, Experience, Caution and Hope
“If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother and hope your guardian genius.”- Joseph Addison(1672-1719) English Writer and Statesman
PERSEVERANCE
Persistence, by Calvin Coolidge
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is filled with educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent.
“Press On!” has been and always will be the answer to every human problem.
Stay with it. Don’t give up. Life will never be easy. If your life is easy, it’s some else’s toil that is making your days tranquil and languid. Buckle up and get to work!
EXPERIENCE
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. -Steve Jobs
After 40 years of dancing and teaching, I love sharing the love and knowledge of dancing. Do I know it all? A big no to that. In fact, I am still humbled by my dancing mentors and teachers. Yet, I have my own gift. You can dance for me and I can fix you in just a few minutes and give you an easy way to remember the dancing key I gave you. Not only am I gifted at this, I love every minute of it. Teaching with laugher and joy is the best ways to have others learn from you.
Wondering what it would be like to be a “senior” instructor, I have learned that I love it as much as my students. Having an older body, I love and respect what dancing does for my health and my muscles. Dancing keeps me young and laughing every day. Also, I am surrounded by young people every day which keeps me from getting old and crotchet!
CAUTION
In 2010 I slipped and shattered my left shoulder. It was just a terrible and catastrophic fall. I broke off and cracked my shoulder into a million pieces. I now have a new shoulder from UCLA and it works like a charm. Do I feel it? Yes, every day. It never goes away. And now I am cautious about what I do, how I walk, and where I go. This caution has been a good thing for me. First, I’m not such a jerk anymore. With an injury comes humility. Now I truly listen to my students who hurt and have physical problems. Caution is a good thing. Don’t have an accident to learn it.
HOPE
Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality. – Jonas Salk
Have you ever lost hope? Have you ever lost your mojo and lost your groove? Has there ever been a time in your life where you could not see clearly? Lost in the dark night of the soul? I’ve experienced all of that. I’ve had it all, lost it all, gotten it all back, and now am focused on a life of service to others. Do I have hope now, yes, abundantly yes!
I love this King James Version of this scripture:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” King James Version
Faith is the realization of what we have hoped for, the realization of what was not seen and now is. I’ve had a lot of faith that things would get better, the vision to see the end result, and the good sense to see and live in the moment of hope realized. Don’t fuss at someone when they say “I hope so”. Encourage them. You may need a little bit of their hope in the future yourself.
A very good friend of my, Jim Byrd, said to me years ago, “It will get better”. He knew that these words would get me through losing him and would give me the courage and hope to go on with my life. So today, I say to others all the time, “It will get better”. And it does get better.
Perseverance, experience, caution and hope. Learn them, experience them, and love them.
David Woodbury
Keep on Dancing!