Limitless
Dance Like You Are Limitless
We came up with the idea for Two Birds during a Friday night dance party in our dining room several years ago. Dancing had become a regular ritual for us to relieve stress and connect deeply with one another. For most of my life, I haven't enjoyed dancing. It is an incredibly vulnerable activity that draws attention to your body from the tips of your outstretched fingers to your tapping toes. You feel every jiggle of your thigh, every crack of your neck, every unbalanced turn. My body embarrassed me, and I most definitely did not want to call anyone's attention to it.
As so often happens during Friday night dance parties, I had a revelation. It wasn't true that I didn't enjoy dancing. I was just afraid. What if I look silly? What if people laugh at me? WHAT IF I MAKE A MISTAKE? I was afraid of being judged and found lacking.
In my years of coaching experience, I have talked to hundreds of people who are asking themselves these same questions, whether it be about becoming a new parent or being promoted into their first leadership role. Even individuals who are dying commonly ask the question, "What if I made a mistake and now it's too late?" We fear being judged and in the process judge ourselves so harshly that it limits our ability to connect to others. We cannot fully connect when we are hiding and making ourselves small.
There is a popular saying: dance like no one is watching. Trying to be inspirational and encouraging, the saying is still rooted in the fear of being judged. It is incredibly sad to me that people choose over and over again to limit themselves because they are afraid of being watched. And let me be clear…I am talking about myself. I am the one who is so often afraid.
Then Kim entered my life and started asking me a different set of questions. What if your jiggling thighs are beautiful? What if you get dizzy when you spin because you are afraid of losing control? What if instead of getting embarrassed when you step out of rhythm, you try to step back in? She coached me through synchronous movement and helped me think differently. For just a moment, my brain broke free of her self-imposed limits.
I thought, "People need this." And the concept of Two Birds was born.
What if this whole idea is a mistake? Instead of getting embarrassed, I'll try to step back in. Because in dancing, the only step that matters is the one we are taking in this moment.
Welcome to Two Birds. It is time for you to step in.
