Yup, it's been a while. One of the things that the lovely Amy Poehler talks about is how she first fell in love with Improv. Now, just in general reading about Ms. Poehler’s life really makes me reflect upon my own and the very little chances that I have taken. I started thinking about how I treat my everyday life as the opposite of the way she describes Improv. I have to have things planned ages in advance, I hesitate way too much, and I’m afraid of letting loose. Later that same day I went to Zumba class with my mom. While trying to keep up with all the cumbia, salsa, and hip hop moves, I started thinking even more about all the ways that I am holding back in life. Other than giving me an awesome workout, Zumba has also made me question just how much I am actually living. Here are 5 things that Zumba has reminded me to do...
1. Don’t be afraid to take up space
When I first enter the Zumba room, I feel like I have to stand somewhere in the back taking up as little space as possible. Arms tucked in, legs close together, maybe a little bit hunched.Someone that is trying to roll themselves up into the tiniest ball possible. A little roly poly afraid to let their existence be known. I find that a lot of the times when I am in a group setting I feel hesitant to open up. Not opening up can really hurt the potential connections you make with people. It sucks because people rarely get to see the real me and then all that held back energy turns into this big ball that later explodes when I'm alone again. While most of this stuff is messing with us internally, it shows on the outside. Our body language can reveal all. But seriously, opening up from that tight and repressed position is so much more liberating and rewarding in the end. You are allowed to make exaggerated gestures and be demonstrative and expressive. Don't apologize for liveliness or excitement. Claim your space and revel in it.
2. Don’t concern yourself with what everyone else is doing
My initial response in this new setting is to always look around me to see how other people are doing something that I'm unsure of how to do. Watching how someone else moves their hips during a certain step or where they put their hands during a salsa move has saved me from looking like an oversized baby who is barely learning how to walk. Watching other people can teach us a lot about what we could be doing, but there may come a point where looking at others is only making us more insecure about the way we are doing something. Everyone is going to work at their own pace and with their own style and flavor, so don't compare your choices in life to anyone else's. I am always comparing my path to others' and pointing out how some people are basically being better versions of myself and walking on all these routes toward success that I haven't even found yet. But this gets you nowhere. Doing something differently and at your own pace does not mean you are doing it wrong.
3. Just act like you know what you're doing
If there is anything that I have learned from Zumba other that the fact that I am uncoordinated it's that you can’t let embarrassment hold you back. And guys I am not even exaggerating when I say that one of the moves we did had me looking like Napoleon, only a thousand times dorkier.
But there is literally no point in getting worked up about how ‘silly’ you feel or look. In life, there are so many things that I have no idea if I'm doing right. Even when I have no idea what I'm doing (which is most of the time), it really helps when I pretend that I do. Confidence is key in anything you pursue. It's so important to believe in your own cause and to believe in your own abilities. I am constantly reminding myself to not freak out when I get lost. Freaking out and panicking only leads to overthinking things and second-guessing. Don't give yourself time to think about it, just jump straight into it and...Fake it till you make it? I guess that's what that phrase actually means.
Get out there and "make the moves up as [you] go."
4. Give it all you got
Zumba will not be a workout if you don't let it be. You can go through the motions with the least possible energy and get nothing out of it. I usually do this when I'm feeling discouraged. I get into a 'what's the point' mood and let apathy take over my entire being. Once apathy gains control of my body, I become dismissive and completely complacent. I beat around the bush and hope that somewhere through all the stalling, the universe will grant me an opportunity or enlighten me with an answer. Sometimes this works, but most of the time it just means I’m being lazy and afraid. It's easy to become disconnected and disengaged, but Zumba has reminded me that it's not cool to be careless, and it rarely gets you anywhere.
5. Laugh at yourself
Half of the Zumba session is me trying to do a move right and failing miserably. Most of the time I find myself giggling at how silly and lost I look in the big mirror. If the group is taking two steps to the right, you can count on me to be taking two steps to the left. One of the things I find fun is to pretend that my mistakes and improvisations are all part of a comedy routine I am doing. I pretend that I have a secret audience watching me put on a silly show. As for real life, humor is one of the things that has kept me sane. If it weren't for my ability to laugh at myself and make fun of, I would be 100% S-A-D 24/forever. Even if in the end you make a fool of yourself, remind yourself that you're still amazing.
☻
Kristal
