Dancing Is Gratitude

Giving yourself the grace to live to your full potential.

Today, I have a positive message to share. As I feel the seasons shift from fall to winter, I feel the year coming to a close. I am reflecting on the year, and feeling emotions shift, too. Experience has taught me that gratitude is the best thing that I can carry with me. It sounds really cheesy when I say it, but it is so true. When I reflect on the last year, I realize that I have learned so much about myself and continue to do so.

This year has taught me a few things about navigating the world and balancing life, love, grief and, learning. Here are my rules and reminders to share.

Do the things that you want to do, not what you see people doing.

It can be difficult to do the things that you really want to do. My whole life I have been scared to fully embrace myself. I am still working on myself everyday, but I have decided that what I want out of life is the present moment. I believe that being present and seeing most things as an opportunity is the best way to honor my life and the potential of my life. Everyone has the ability to find the beauty that they see in their own life; it takes vulnerability to courage to understand what you need. Most often, what we need most is what we love. And most often the things we love most are things we loved as children. The things you love may be people, places or a career. Let the things that you love guide you. Chase the little things you loved when you were little. Think about how you imagined your grown-up self.

Hygge.

Hygge pronounced hyoo-guh is a Danish word that is the core of Danish and Scandinavian culture. Hygge describes a certain coziness that can be found when creating a warm atmosphere with good people and good food. I have been embracing this concept as the seasons begin to change. At nighttime I try my best to make warm food and eat it with a good friend with my big fuzzy socks on. These little things can make you feel grateful, too. Hygge is typically embraced in the wintertime but it has been something that I have been carrying in my back pocket for quite sometime without a way to describe it. Seeking simplicity in the things that you already have will make you feel grateful for those little cozy moments.

Dance.

Dancing is the fastest way to make yourself smile. No need to open TikTok or wait for a friend, though dancing with friends can be fun too. You really only need yourself and you can do it anywhere. Instead of worrying or stressing about the things in the near future, just be grateful that you have this moment to dance. The best part about dancing is that you do not need a thing to dance. You can dance with company or without, with music or without, with happy thoughts or without. I mostly find myself dancing when I need a shift in my mood. I catch myself stuck in my anxiety after class or with a busy day ahead, then I make the conscious shift towards the always positive dancing.

Again, I know it is cheesy, but I feel compelled to share how gratitude has changed my life. Doing what you love, embracing Hygge and dancing are all ways that I have found joy in my life, even in the difficult times.

I have also found that once you fully embrace your life and self people will be more encouraged to be in the moment with you.

I hope to open this discussion and I would love to hear about the things that make you feel bright, received and loved, too. Thank you for reading. I am so happy that I got the chance to have this platform over the last few months to share challenging topics.

Thank you for reading!