Not Seeing the Improvement You Want

The majority of ballet is spent chasing an accomplishment. For example, you work so hard because you're trying to get accepted into a summer intensive or land a certain role. You are always looking ahead, eyes fixed on some future goal — which can be a good thing, because it pushes you to work hard and strive for more. But it becomes unhealthy when you stop enjoying ballet, when you start believing that if you just accomplish this one thing, then you will finally be happy. It's easy to think that life will begin once you get "there" — but what if life is actually happening right here, in the messiness and mistakes?

You forget that the journey to the goal is just as important as the goal itself. The moments between milestones — the quiet efforts nobody sees, the laughter, the failures, the small victories — these are what shape you. This is where life really unfolds. If you treat the journey like a chore you just have to get through, you miss the point entirely.

Growth doesn’t happen the moment you reach your goal. It happens in the late nights when you're tired but keep going anyway. It happens when you get knocked down and choose to stand back up. It happens when you take a risk without knowing if it will work out. The hard work, the joy, and the determination you build along the way are incredibly important for your physical and mental health.

Instead of thinking about reaching your goal as a "long process" you need to rush through, think of it as a beautiful journey that will grow you in so many ways. Imagine if you danced fully in the moment, instead of always chasing the next achievement. How much lighter would you feel?

So don't just march toward the end. Don't wait for permission to feel proud, free, or happy. Put on the music of now. Move your feet even if you don't know all the steps. Laugh at the missteps. Celebrate the little things. Dance, even in the middle of the unknown. This is your journey. Because life isn't waiting for you at the end of the road. Life is happening right here, in the dance.