It CAN Happen!
Grover's dream was to dance with his hero, Gene Kelly. He got his chance in 1965 when Jacques Demy cast him (without an audition!) as Kelly's co-star in the musical "The Young Girls Of Rochefort."
MY DREAM IS A LITTLE SHAKY....
Dear Grover,
My name is Melinda and I'm 18 years old. I love to dance. The only problem is that my training is minimal. I've been to a few workshops and taken a few dance classes at a local studio, but I'm realizing that's not enough. My dream is to dance professionally and then become a choreographer like Fatima Robinson. But, I don't know if that's an option any more.
I don't want to be foolish and follow a stupid dream that's impossible to achieve. I don't want to end up on the Jenny Jones talk show and be interviewed for a segment on "So You Thought You Could Make it?" I'm only 18, but I feel like I'm having a mid-life crisis. Am I just chasing an impossible dream? But if I am...why can't I stop dreaming? Please help me.
Melinda
Dear Melinda,
You can't stop dreaming because there's something inside you that needs to be expressed. You're getting flashes of how things might be. Whether the impulse is to change the color of your hair, hug someone, or dance in one of Fatima's music videos, "wants" are moments of inner truth. They are the secrets of your soul asking you to move out of your comfort zone and take some action. Taking action isn't easy. And please don't use your age or lack of training as an excuse for procrastination. Everything that happens in your dancing life will be the result of actions that you have or have not taken. When it comes to success, what we receive is directly connected to what we invest. Your actions (what you do, say, and think!) contribute to your reality. In the best of all worlds, this means you would be willing to invest yourself totally in what you want in order to make it happen. Are you willing to get your butt into class and do what needs to be done?
Without taking action, Melinda, you are not in the game...you are merely observing from the sidelines and waiting for it to begin. Is that what you want?
Good luck,
Grover
FOLLOW-UP:
In the same film, Grover sang and danced with George Chakiris.Melinda's agonizing reminds us that we're responsible for creating our own lives. We have choices. We can wait for the universe to deliver it to us or we can rely on ourselves to make it happen.
If we're betting on luck, fate, or that it will one day be our turn, we might hit the jackpot. Then again, we might not. However, by going after our goals the old-fashioned way by using our hands, our heart, our talent, and our brains...we come out ahead even if accomplishing the goal eludes us.
Luck is a wonderful thing, but by its very nature it comes with no guarantees. We can hope for luck but we can't rely on it. Luck can and does run out. Luck keeps us in the "hoping" mode. Contributing personal effort puts the power where it's supposed to be...in our hands.
Remember, if you're thinking, you are not doing. Doing is what moves our goals forward. It transforms the observer on the sidelines into a real player on the field.
