2014. The number my classmates and myself have cheered for years. We are the class of 2014. And now we are only months away from graduating Juilliard.
In list form, a short new year’s reflection…
Things I acquired in 2013:
brother in law, 2 new awesome roommates, new apt, longer hair, performing Pina Bausch’s Wind Von West, performing Pina Bausch’s Wind Von West sans brazier, tears and laughter while dancing, wonderfully bizarre dreams, adventures in Europe, expired driver’s permit, new love of coffee, Qi-Gong practice, a killer calendar for 2014 (wink wink nudge nudge).
For this bright and exciting year, it is important to remember the lessons learned and move forward with all of our knowledge and experience. These are some of the things I will bring with me as I move forward…
Take the fear out of it. Fear of how the outcome will be is often a limiting and debilitating emotion. The outcome will always be there, so I will remind myself to focus on my input without worry of the outcome.
This will also subsequently allow me to live in the moment. Have you noticed that some of your happiest memories are from when you were playing a game, or were surprised by someone special visiting you? This is because in these moments your mind isn’t distracted with thoughts of the past or future. Instead, you are living fully in the present.
This year has been an incredible thrilling journey, with a lot of travel and personal exploration. I feel so grateful for the generous friends and family in my life. Some gifts are big, some may be smaller; some are given as a material good and some are energetic. This year I am going to start writing thank you letters, or maybe just love letters, to make sure these wonderful people know how much I appreciate them.
Although the details of 2014 are still to be determined, what I do know is that I will continue to grow and challenge myself to be my best version – as a person, artist and dancer.
Let’s make it count.
!