Tag: goals

“So What’s Next for You?”

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I get this question a lot when I’m at the studio. I ask this question a lot! It’s a standard “catch up” question among ballroom dancers to find out what event you’re working toward. But it’s also become an awkward question because my answer is “I have no idea.”

I’m slowly figuring out how to cope with not having a real answer to that question. I’m working on setting non-competition dance goals to keep myself busy and motivated (keep an eye out for an article on those!). Teacher doesn’t want me to give up on competition goals though, even if the next one is six months out or more. Usually encouragement and support from Teacher would boost my motivation to find any and all creative solutions to my financial dilemma. That’s how I managed to afford my 2015 comps!

But something is holding me back. And considering I just wrote about why I crave a challenge beyond just dancing, I want to explore why I’m having trouble motivating myself to find a new path to the fuel that feeds my inner fire.

You guys don’t mind me using this platform to psychoanalyze myself, right?

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Psycho-what?

 

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Back to the Daily Grind…For Now

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Tomorrow is the last day of my vacation! That exclamation point is not for excitement, mind you.  More for exasperation. Does it really have to end?

I have been hampered by a stubborn headache since Thursday. Teacher even cancelled my lesson on Friday 5 minutes in because I couldn’t focus and he didn’t want me to waste a lesson if I wasn’t feeling well. I was mad at myself later for not insisting that we continue the lesson. I can be as stubborn as my headaches. I plan on feeling well enough to make it to the social dance tomorrow.  Anyone else coming?

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The Klutzy Ballroom Dancer (Write31Days Day 10)

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I put Looney Tunes on this morning as background while I worked on today’s post.  Sometimes I really miss the old classic Saturday morning cartoons.  Looney Tunes were the best!  Yes, incredibly violent, but also brilliant!  What led me to Looney Tunes was noting the number of bruises I’m currently sporting on my legs: one on my left knee, one on my right shin, one on my left ankle, and two on my right ankle.  I’m like a slapstick character, get it?

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Allow Me to Introduce Myself (Write31Days Day 1)

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Happy October! It’s Day 1 of the 31 Day Writing Challenge!  For the next 31 days, I’ve committed to posting something every day about ballroom dance.  Since my ballroom dance journey is the focus of this blog, my topic choice is obvious.  My challenge to myself is to write something new every day.  I don’t want to just rehash older posts about ballroom basics.  I respect and appreciate my longer-term readers too much to produce nothing but reruns for a month.  But I don’t want newer readers to feel lost, like they came into the middle of a movie.  So my plan is to revisit some old topics with a new or different perspective, as well as break out some new ones. I will also include links to my previous posts to help any new readers get up to speed.  For today, I thought I would just introduce myself to any new readers out there.
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Life Isn’t Fair – Based on a True Story

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I was prepared when the phone rang this time. Teacher asked how I was and I said “I’m not sure…because you’re calling…”

Teacher was calling to inform me of the surgery necessary to repair the fractures in his wrist. So much for a clean break.

Surgery meant a longer recovery time. So for the second time, a goal has been crossed out and the future shifted back into obscurity.

There will be no Best of the Best at Ohio Star Ball for this dancer.

I initially wrote this post right after Teacher called me that second time. But I wanted to hold off on sharing it until after my first post-surgery lesson with him. Because the title is 100% true – life isn’t fair. But it is still worth pursuing.

In the middle of processing the second dream lost, I couldn’t articulate why anyone should bother if it all could be taken away without cause. So I waited until I had some time to process and then reconnected with Teacher and started working toward new plans for my ballroom future. I thought getting back into the swing of things would help inspire the words I would need to encourage and motivate you despite the random smackdowns life would give you.

It didn’t.

I still feel like life is just totally unfair and I’m still struggling to keep myself motivated.

But screw it, here is what I wrote anyway.

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How to Cope with Loss – Part 6: It’s Ok to Feel Sorry for Yourself Sometimes

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I think I’m going to make this post the last of this series. “Part 7” just feels like one too many, and I can tell I’m starting to circle back on emotions. There won’t be anything new to share with you, only revisited thoughts and feelings. This final part is about accepting that emotions like feeling sorry for yourself are part of the process of dealing with a loss or hardship and are OK. Sometimes.

You can read the whole How to Cope with Loss series here.

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