You Want Me To Do WHAT?

One of my favorite moments of 2018 was when I was asked to dance in the South Bend Center For The Homeless Dancing With Our Stars Miracle Auction event. This annual event asks a small number of community leaders to participate in a fun night of dancing while raising money for the center. The range of emotions when I sat down with the coordinators to go over what was expected was indescribable. Fear, excitement, completely baffled. I'd have to raise money. I HATE asking for anything. This very much works against me in many situations. I don't ever want to owe anyone anything. Unfortunately, this mindset has prohibited me from seeing the truly generous nature of some people. I had to remind myself of the cause. I'd be asking people to give to a homeless center.

I practiced every week with a professional ballroom dancer for about 3 months. I was so worried about making him look bad. I had to learn to dance in HEELS! I probably wear heels 5 times a year and always feel super clumsy in them. As the event date approached, I started to feel a little more confident in my routine. I found a fringe flapper dress on Amazon and I became less worried about falling flat on my face. Then they released the lineup. I WAS LAST!

Eyes Closed. Deep breaths.

I'd have to spend the entire night watching everyone else glide across the dance floor. What if I walked on stage and forgot EVERYTHING? I still forget Zumba moves I've been teaching for a decade! I simply knew, I had to go on. I could not back out. Quitting was NOT an option. My routine was about 2 minutes long. I'd like to tell you I felt like Jennifer Lopez when I took my place on the dance floor, but no. I felt boneless. I felt like Jello. I had never felt that wobbly in my life. Then all of a sudden, it was over. I'm not going to say I worried for nothing, because it wasn't nothing. It was a BIG something. I had just turned 41 and was recognized as someone who could influence people to contribute to an amazing organization. The fear, nervousness and worry...some things are just worth it.

What did you do last year that completely freaked you out, but you crushed it anyway?