Lies

Some things are easy to lie about: a resume, history, past events, who said what, who you are.

Some things are impossible to lie about. How you dance, or juggle, or play music – skill inevitably tells a truthful story.

It’s a story of years – commitment, dedication, focus. It shows how broadly you see, and how deeply, whether you pay attention to detail. Skill requires humility, inspiration, an incessant drive to improve, never being satisfied; being sensitive to people around you, incorporating feedback, stepping past your ego. If one knows what to listen for, a deeper story of character is revealed in the subtleties of every human motion.

Anyone can do a dance move poorly. It says nothing of how long you’ve danced, or what you care about, or who you really are. But a move executed flawlessly speaks volumes. There is no way to attain that other than through a remarkable story of personal strength and resilience.

Sometimes, I forget why I do what I do, I forget even who I am, or how I got to where I am. It gets lost in the noise of everyday life, gossip, plans that don’t work out.

But my story is always with me, imprinted deeply, and no one can take it away; a tattoo on my soul. Doing, seeing how I do the things I do – I can remind myself: why did I start on the path I’m on. I can remember – how low I started, what it took to make progress. The struggles I went through to learn to dance, to fix my body, perfect a foreign language, move to a foreign country, master the skills I needed to succeed in my career. And how alone, and vulnerable, yet alive I felt – the moment I challenged myself to learn guitar, and committed to being an artist.

It was one of the most difficult times in my life, but through those trials I committed to making it amount to something meaningful, and using the time I have wisely, living with purpose; doing my best, in every moment.

Imprints on your soul can not be bought or stolen, only earned. Thousands of hours of committed, dedicated practice imprint an undying flame – a reminder to keep going forward with purpose, leave fears and doubts behind, and push past disbelief, resistance, and the inescapable negativity of those around.