I recently competed in my second ballroom dance event, the Michigan Dance Challenge. It was a big event with over 7000 entries and I am exhausted. You might think I’m exhausted from dancing something like a fillion-dillion cha-chas, rumbas, east coast swings, boleros and mambos, but you’d be wrong. Swollen feet and painful hip joints notwithstanding, all that dancing was invigorating. The exhausting part was allowing myself to get uncharacteristically sucked into a vortex of bad attitudes. And clambering to get out again. Phew. Did I mention life is too short for a bad attitude? It is. Even if I finish dead last.
NEWSFLASH! You can have a winning attitude without actually winning. Yeah. It’s simple. All you do is quit making excuses, work hard and set commensurable goals. Period. You stop comparing yourself to people who work harder than you do and you definitely stop whining about the independently wealthy dance divas who fly their coaches into town for 16 hours of lessons every other weekend. 1) It’s unattractive and no one likes being around a chronic complainer; 2) the truth is there aren’t that many independently wealthy dance divas; and 3) THEY’RE NOT THE PROBELM.
Here’s another NEWSFLASH! Finances, insecurities, anxieties, health issues, life circumstances or blah-blah-blah are not the problem. What puts one competitive middle-aged female ballroom dancer at an overwhelming disadvantage to another is a bad attitude. Period.
You can accuse me of a lot of things – sickled feet, tense arms, dancing off rhythm, forgetting choreography, hijacking leads and overthinking to name a few – but copping a bad attitude is not one of them. Why? Because life is too short for bad a attitude.
Plus…
… call me crazy, but careening around the dance floor in gorgeous dresses and fancy-schmancy satin shoes is not a bad gig. Sure I like bringing home the hardware as much as the next gal, but for me the journey is as much fun as the destination. Even if I finish dead last you can bet this Dancing Housewife will behave like a winner because life is too short for a bad attitude.
#CupHalfFull
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GOOD FOR YOU ANTIONETTE!!!!!!!! Love your attitude!!!!! Glad you are having fun!!!!!! That is what counts!!!!!!xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Did you make the finals????????????
As a matter of fact, I did…
Very nice article. I understand the feeling, as I just had some very bad results at my last comp and It’s hard to not feel completely discouraged or be jealous of people with more money, talent, experience, etc… But in the end I know that not everyone has the opportunities I do and I’m so thankful for the experiences in my dance journey and especially the people who share it with me. Not every round will be my best but I want to enjoy every minute as much as I can!
Ant! You are spot on….enjoy the joy of dancing. As I begin on my journey after a long absence, I want to always remember that “dancing makes my heart happy”. Thanks to you and Pat for a fun debut! Can wait to dance with you two very soon!