My best friend finds it hilarious that as a former dancer, I honestly have no balance. Yes, yes in my prime I could stand on one leg, blah blah blah…but what I have struggled to master (even today) is I’m either all in or I’m out. For me, there has never been an in-between. I don’t like lukewarm, indecisiveness makes me crazy, and I don’t comprehend the word try. As usual, let’s blame it on dance, shall we?
I started dancing around the age of 5. A magical age when your frontal lobe is undeveloped, so what you consider fun and free, an adult considers risky and scary. LEAPING: The beautiful moment when a dancer appears light as air, gracious, and powerful all in an instant. LEAPING: a skill that is developed by falling, falling a bit harder, falling yet again, and then getting back up to do it again and again.
My first students were “little dancers.” Little dancers are the best! Little dancers have zero skill, negative 5 attention span, but OMG little dancers will do anything. Little dancers show up ready to move (they have more energy than a newborn kitten) and their only desire is to please you. Tell a little dancer “today we are going to learn to leap,” and you become their hero! Little dancers aren’t worried about falling. Falling isn’t even a concern because they fall on the daily just walking. Falling and getting back up is normal, but we forget that as we become older. Little dancers don’t fear the fall, they focus on the excitement of learning and being able to LEAP! As a teacher, you love working with the excited student, because a fearful student….well…let’s just say it requires a different type of strategy.
The older we become, the more experiences we have. Some are great and fantastic, but some are just downright terrible and sometimes terrifying. Experiences either expose you to something new and encourage you to keep growing or they create doubt, which if not careful transitions into fear.
Enter older dancers….On the surface, older dancers seem easier because they have a bit more technique which means you can create differently, but…Older dancers come with older dancer baggage. Older dancer doubts, fears, excuses, and just plain defiance. Remember that “today we are going to learn to leap” the statement from above. An older dancer hears “today I might hit the floor.” The truth is…if you want to learn to LEAP, falling is part of the process. Which is the same for starting, building, and elevating a business.
Most adults (older dancers) never even start. They will have an idea for years…and I mean YEARS! They will waste time listing all the reasons it won’t work (excuses). They will list their limited skills, limited disposable income, and lack of support, but again…(excuses). Why? Oh, that’s easy…what adult do you know looks forward to falling? Or dare I say…Failing! And there it is…I’ll spell it out, so you don’t have any doubt. YOU ARE GOING TO FAIL! And it's going to suck, be painful, and maybe even humiliating...but that's just your ego, so let it go!
The only difference between a failure and a person who failed is one got back up and did it again and again.
1. The dancer who learns to LEAP doesn’t waste time overthinking. She focuses on the end goal and goes for it!
2. The dancer who learns to LEAP accepts that failure is going to happen. She analyzes the worst possible scenario, acknowledges that she will survive it, and moves forward.
3. The dancer who learns to LEAP falls a ridiculous amount of time. BUT she understands the fall is temporary and instead of dwelling on the fall itself, she humbles herself and asks the more experienced…“how to do it better, what’s missing, please help me.”
I've fallen, failed, or whatever context works best for your mindset, more than I care to admit. However, I'm also a hell of a LEAPER because I don't give in to my fears. And even better, I'm excellent at teaching others not only how to LEAP, but more importantly how to land on their feet gracefully, which if you didn't know is the hardest part of leaping.
Are you ready to get out of your way and start your business? Hit me up, I'd love to chat about it.
WHO AM I?
I’m Kandis Troutman Burney, MA. A mother, teacher, and spiritual seeker focused on purpose walking and serving others. I help aspiring, hustling, and routine entrepreneurs shift their mindsets from fear to faith, exchange confusion for clarity, so they can transform their passions into profit.
Thanks for reading my post. I try to publish new posts weekly, but I believe in leaving room for God, which means there are no guarantees. But check in often and let me know what content awakens your spirit and I’ll be more than happy to share my experiences.
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