... you have a choice.
You have a choice on how you react to crappy situations. REACT is the big word here..
This entry wasn't provoked by dance so much but by hockey. I have three boys who play and two of them are old enough to tryout for development teams. Hockey is kind of a big deal around these parts and let me tell ya, the competition gets intense. Fortunately we have a great group of civilized families around us but that doesn't mean the emotions don't run deep. Yup, we have found ourselves in crappy situations. I won't bore you with the deets but know it's crappy.
We want the best for our kids, right? And sometimes we think the "best" team, the "best" teacher, the "best" coach, the one who wins, is the most elite or the one with the highest credentials is the one that's best for our kids. But guess what? Sometimes they're not the best fit. Sometimes they'll actually learn and grow more in the "not-so-best" place. And when they don't get on the "best" team or have the "best" teacher/coach how are you going to react? How are you going to be the best parent/guide for your child?.... you guessed it... the good ole' saying, "look at the bright side". Honestly, you can always "find the silver lining"... oops, there's another one.
I know I have always learnt the most in crappy situations...
My sister and I not being picked to do our self choreographed routine in the recital when I was 9 years old... (the only ones not picked)
Totally bombing the first solo I competed
Being told I'll never become a ballerina (not the right body type)
Yeah, I cried. Yeah, they were crappy. But holy cow did I learn. Did I stop dancing because our dance wasn't chosen? No, it fuelled my fire. Did I never do a solo again? No, it fuelled my fire. Did I not become a professional dancer? No, it fuelled my fire.
As a parent it's hard to see our kids cry and be upset. But my mom never called to complain that my sister and I weren't picked to be in the show (kudos to you mom). She let us experience what that felt like and we talked about it as a family. Thank goodness!!!! Cuz in the real world mommy can't call the casting directer to see why I wasn't hired for the job and convince them otherwise... no matter how upset I am! She prepped us for the real world... which is crappy sometimes.
To go back a little to my first entry; if you have done all the work to meet your expectations and the outcome you wanted doesn't happen, how are you going to react? Are you going to quit? Get a poopie attitude? Or are you going to "look at the bright side" and fuel your fire?You have a choice.