I have a favorite quote that I have taped to my desk. Some attribute it to Mother Theresa, some say it originally comes from a college professor. Either way, I have to read it almost every day. It basically focuses on the question we tend to ask ourselves all the time in moments of frustration: “Why am I even trying?!”
One of the most poignant lines from the quote is, “What you may have spent years building, someone may tear down overnight – build anyway.” And there is another, “If you are kind, someone may accuse you of having false motives – be kind anyway.”
I could easily write down the whole thing, because different parts of it are applicable to everyone at different times. The take-away is that someone else will always be around to criticize, belittle, or dismiss your best efforts, but you must remember that you are doing what you do because YOU love it, not to please anyone else. Your character and your path is between you and God, and no one else should have that much influence in your life.
Dance can be the most rewarding and glorious world to live in; at the same time, it can bring you down pretty hard. So, we question our own motives, or our friends’ motives, or even our teachers’ motives. Actually, we can all get pretty paranoid.
The thing to keep in the front of your mind is, why ARE you doing this? Do you love it? Then continue. Does it bring you joy? Still continue. Does it build you up and affirm those around you? Keep it up. Do you eagerly look forward to each day so you can work on refining and improving yourself in your chosen field? Then don’t stop. Do you feel constantly unfulfilled, frustrated, self-deprecating, and terrified that someone else is getting ahead of you? Do you feel that you hit a brick wall a while ago, but you are staying where you are because you have nowhere else to turn? Do you look for excuses to skip class? Hmmmm……
Yes, we all need encouragement, even in the things we love to do. We all struggle and have to work hard, no matter what path we’re on. However, if the struggles outweigh your passion, and if the opinions or unkindness of others begin to have whispers of truth when you sit very quietly, if the joy is waning, if some other path is grabbing your attention while your current schedule is “in the way,” it’s time to start listening to YOUR heart. Others will have opinions, but don’t let those opinions cause you to lie to yourself. And if you do make a mistake, nothing has the word “forever” stamped on it. We are all constantly changing and being recreated. I have quoted this from C. S. Lewis this before: “We are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.”
Wherever our lives take us, we can dance down the path with confidence in our decisions if they have been carefully considered through prayer and wise counsel from people whom you trust. Step out and try. It should not be the first time you try something new, nor the last!
Dance on.
Grace Notes 