The other day, I was speaking to my success partner, Roland, on the phone about how I find it difficult to make certain decisions before knowing exactly what the outcome will be. Rational me recognizes that it is impossible to truly know everything and that sometimes we just have to take a step forward with the possibility of walking into a thorn bush.
I have the human tendency to be overly cautious at times before committing to big life decisions. I go over the million and one possibilities in my head, playing through them all many times before biting the bullet. On this particular day, I was trying to decide how to communicate my changing schedule to several of my current employers. I conveyed this to Roland during our conversation and he offered me a beautiful, yet simply analogy.
He said, "Brooke, when you go out to dinner, you look at the menu and decide what you want based on the descriptions or photos of the food and then what do you do?" Not quite sure what he was getting at, I said..."wait?" "That's right! You close the menu, and begin engaging in conversation with the person you are with and trust that your food will come to you as you expect it to." He told me essentially that life works in a similar way. We place our order to the universe by taking the appropriate action steps and then we engage in a conversation with our lives. He urged me not to forget to celebrate the in between moments. Instead of wondering about all the what ifs and whether what I ordered was a good idea or if it would come out well, I can be fully present to my life and what is happening right now.
This brings me this post's titles...Why dance is part of my business plan. I'm not trained in dance, nor did I ever really enjoy dance classes as a child, but what I'm finding as an adult is that the experience of engaging in dance is one of the surest ways for me to stay rooted in the present moment. I allow my body to be carried away in the rhythm of the music and I can experience true flow. Business plans are detailed and involve a lot of bullet pointed lists and self imposed deadlines but in my plan, I am making it my priority to involve dance.
This past year, I started taking Bachata classes at Esquina Tango in East Austin. Bachata is a Latin style partner dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is like salsa, only more sensual. I'm not particularly skilled at it and still clumsily step on my partners' feet but it is truly joyful for me. When I close my eyes and let the music move me, there is nothing else that exists. There are no worries about schedules and stresses about things working out because I am soul level invested. I've also been frequenting The White Horse, a Honky Tonk bar also in East Austin for two stepping and even bravely tried a pole dancing class this past week.
So when Roland reminded me to close the menu and trust that my food would arrive as I ordered it, I liken this to being engaged in activities like dance, writing and art. When I allow time for these things, I am less fixated on the what ifs. I have taken the action step and now it is up to the divine to provide the perfect outcome. Join me sometime? It's wildly invigorating.