The problem with humans is that we are granted with terrible foresight. We have great hindsight. Every new adventure, looks like nirvana when looking ahead. We flooded with excitement to prospect of what and where we could be going. Through romance in there and we are hopeless. We become addicted to a fleeting feeling that can really never be quenched. Maybe in short bursts, but not over long periods. Like with the metaphor you used about working out, we can sustain for short bursts and ride the dopamine releases, but the outcomes are either to far out or completely out of bounds. There either has to be an unstoppable "want to" or a undeniable love for whatever it is to sustain us to the desired outcome.
The other problem with humans, is that the finish line is a forever moving target. Our lives are filled with "if only" and "when I" statements that make getting to a point of happiness a virtual impossibility. As crazy as it sound, we have to let go of things to gain control of them.
FYI, you are the first ballet dancer that I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with. I am very interested in how being involved in that world impacted or related to your world outside of dance. I am sure that, like with many specialized communities, like dance or sports, sometimes the inner workings are much different than the outside world. Almost like a bubble.
Wow! I love it!! Terrible foresight. Great hindsight. You are spot on about everything! Like a mirage, it always looks like something different from afar, but the closer you get, the more your initial illusion gets crushed;)
You’re sweet! That is such a great question! Sadly, my memories revolving around my dancing journey are tinted with a lot of sadness and pain. I started dancing at 4-5 years old, and in high school I was in a private school that had a dance program. We would dance everyday and had courses to take after school. It wasn’t initially meant to be competitive, but the competition was there anyway. It’s interesting because ballerinas make it look easy on stage, but there’s a lot of work that goes into it. It’s really a demanding sport. My teenage years were extremely hard for me, and I ended up developing an eating disorder which affected tremendously my ability to perform all the sports I was practicing at the time, including dancing. I picked up a lot of dysfunctional coping mechanisms from my dancing years actually. For the first time in my life I faced rejection (I had no friends in my dance program) and that really took a huge toll on my self, especially because in high school you get “judged” for that kind of stuff. I’m not sure I really answered your question:P but ya still to this day I carry some scars from that time of my life and it’s one of the reasons that led me to quit.