Courage. Showing up, moving in the direction of your desires even when the hurdles seem insurmountable.
I Skyped with a hooper who struggled so fiercely with social anxiety that she couldn’t attend hoop workshops/retreats. She bought the tickets, made the plans, had the vision. When it came time to leave for the events her anxiety would cripple her so ferociously that she couldn’t leave the house. Forcing her to miss the connections, learning, and experiences she so deeply desired. Until one day she decided to do something that would give her the courage to tackle everything else.
If she could conquer her greatest fear of hooping in public, having people see her, judge her, watch her, then she could do anything. She bundled up her hoops and decided to hoop in Times Square. Alone. On a busy day up to 460 000 people will walk through Times Square. There was no hiding this time.
As she stepped into her hoop and began to spin she initially imagined that people would be laughing at her, whispering about the weird hoop girl, judging her skills, her body, her clothes. She continued to hoop, to embrace courage and the worries began to melt, her fierce anxiety started to give way to flow & bliss.
Slowly she started to look up from the ground, connect with people around her, she saw some people had stopped to watch but they weren’t scowling or judging, they were smiling & clapping, they were in awe of her brilliance, they were mirroring the feelings of joy & freedom she was beginning to feel inside. She wasn’t there to get people’s approval, but it was heartwarming when they wanted to get their picture taken with her & ask her where she learned.
She wasn’t there to entertain others or hand out her business card, but it was comforting when people started to ask where else she performed. She was there because for once she was able to choose courage over fear & if she could bottle that sensation and take it with her the next time she was struggling she knew she could move through anything.
Courage: the ability to do something that frightens you. The results can change lives. What is frightening you? What is your Times Square moment? #courage #brave
How has hooping helped you?