As I was listening to my dance instructor’s words the other night it hit me. Contained in what he was saying about learning the dance step, was the same approach available to us to lighten and brighten our lives. It was a metaphor for guiding ourselves to a wonderful life.

Here’s essentially what he said, “keep dancing because I need to see where the problems are. When I see where they are, we can fix them. I can’t fix them if I don’t know what they are. And when we find one, we will keep giving it our attention and adjusting your steps until you are comfortable, then we’ll move on to the next one.”

How do we use my dance instructor’s message so we get more pleasure in our lives?

1. Pinpoint the problem – Name the thing that’s bringing you an uneasy or bad feeling.

2. Do something different, ANYTHING! – When the uncomfortable situation comes up again, experiment with a new reaction from you. For example, this could be how you choose to react, your thoughts or what you choose to say. This would be a small step in a different direction.

3.   Ask yourself,  are you comfortable with the results of your new choice? – Is it moving you in the direction want to go? Does it make you feel better or worse? Is there anything else you could you do to make the situation even better? Store that idea in your mind for next time and give it a try.

4. Keep experimenting with a new response or choice until you feel comfortable.

5. Next seemingly impossible problem? – Repeat “the dance”

“There are shortcuts to happiness, and “dancing” is one of them.” – Vicki Baum

With love, Jackie