FREEEEDDDDOOOOMMMM!!!!! Ok, sorry, I just had to get that out of my system, now that my summer classes have finished. I get a ~2 week break before jumping in with 9 hours this fall. Two more semesters left before graduation! I tweeted that I take life too seriously sometimes, and I decided that attending Bollywood Dance one night would help me combat that mentality. While it helped immediately in the moment, the class, and my motivation for attending, have been bouncing around in my thoughts for the last few days.

When I lived in California, I took Zumba (dance class featuring music from hip hop, to pop, to salsa and merengue!) once a week with a close friend. Then, I’d go to a show rehearsal, and dance for another couple of hours (usually jazz-based or ballroom style). Between rehearsals and Zumba, I was dancing at least an hour a day, 4-5 days each week. I got my groove ON! Since I’ve been back in Texas, I’ve been attending boxing boot camp and weight classes 2-3 times per week, and doing a heavy lifting day on Saturdays with my husband. I’m still staying active, but my training regimen is significantly different from my workouts 2 years ago. You know what I noticed during Bollywood? I move like a boxer. I think like a boxer. I’m cut like a boxer. I’m not fluid, I’m precise. I’m not graceful, I’m sharp. My grapevine looks more like a boxer’s shuffle, and my step-tap looks more like a cut-and-run.

Funny thing is, I started getting really introspective on how this relates to my life, and my motivation for dancing in the first place! I’m nose-to-the-grindstone all time right now. I’m focused on my career goals, sharpening my skills, and punching life square in the face with fierceness. Sure, I think I’ve built in time for fun and relaxation, but the reality is, I have trouble embracing those times to their fullest. There was a time when I could truly relax, a time when I could truly appreciate fun, a time when I could let my hair down. Now is not that time, and I’ve convinced myself that I’m the best version of “me” during this time.

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, says the famous boxer Muhammad Ali. Notice anything profound about that statement? Yeah, me neither. Ok, I do, but I don’t want to admit it! Ali advocates boxing with BALANCE. You can be the quickest guy on the mat, but if you can’t throw a punch, you won’t win. You can be the heaviest hitter in the ring, but if you can’t stay light enough on your feet to keep from getting knocked out, you won’t win. Business is the same way! It’s great that you can follow a rigid schedule, micromanage your time down to the minute, and power through all-nighters, but if you can’t relax and let your mind recharge, the brilliant ideas have no room to grow. Can you be flexible when the numbers don’t match, when 24 hours isn’t enough time in the day? When was the last time you tried to solve a problem with a completely off-the-wall solution that turned out to be genius?

I used to be a dancer AND a boxer, and I think I’ll be the best version of myself when I get back to that balance… both in business and the gym!