My last name wasn't always Stacey. Until about two months ago my last name was McWilliams. And as a McWilliams, I was held to the McWilliams family philosophies and mantras. My mother has always been a firm believer in you finish what you started. If you're going to do something, you better have the intent of finishing it all the way through. Therefore, one of our family mantras was "McWilliams don't give up."
I have been dancing since I was 4-years-old. I started in your typical little girl beginner's ballet class. This quickly fueled my love for the art form and I continued in the classes, moving up levels, and eventually aiming to audition and make it in the company. In order to be a company ballet dancer, you had to wear pointe shoes. For all you non-dancers out there, you know these as the way ballerinas stand on the tops of their toes. The toe of pointe shoes, in order to allow the dancer to stand, are made out of a cardboard and wooden box. A cardboard shank runs down the arch of the foot, giving the dancer additional support. The rest of the shoe is made with satin material and ribbon. As you can imagine, jamming your toes into a wooden, cardboard box, and then standing up, putting all your body weight onto a tiny 2-inch diameter area, can be incredibly painful. Hence why dancers are known to not have the prettiest feet (outside of their dance shoes, that is.) The rough material of the box rubs and wears on your feet causing blisters, bruised toenails, corns, etc.
When I was 10-years-old, I took my very first pointe class, in preparation for auditioning for company the next year. For the first 3 months of the class, I came home crying every day because of the pain. My dad, who couldn't stand to see his 10-year-old enduring such torture, begged me to stop. "It's ok. You don't have to keep doing this," he said. But, the family mantra was too strong in my mind. By having this sense of determination and will engrained in my mind at such a young age, I was persuaded to keep working hard and reach my goal. I wanted to do it. The family philosophy appealed to my sense of identity, and as a McWilliams, I would not quit. Introducing a philosophy in relationship with your identity is an excellent way to persuade and kept me working hard.
And here I am, 11 years later, graduating in Dance in the ballet department.....hard work pays off.
I have been dancing since I was 4-years-old. I started in your typical little girl beginner's ballet class. This quickly fueled my love for the art form and I continued in the classes, moving up levels, and eventually aiming to audition and make it in the company. In order to be a company ballet dancer, you had to wear pointe shoes. For all you non-dancers out there, you know these as the way ballerinas stand on the tops of their toes. The toe of pointe shoes, in order to allow the dancer to stand, are made out of a cardboard and wooden box. A cardboard shank runs down the arch of the foot, giving the dancer additional support. The rest of the shoe is made with satin material and ribbon. As you can imagine, jamming your toes into a wooden, cardboard box, and then standing up, putting all your body weight onto a tiny 2-inch diameter area, can be incredibly painful. Hence why dancers are known to not have the prettiest feet (outside of their dance shoes, that is.) The rough material of the box rubs and wears on your feet causing blisters, bruised toenails, corns, etc.
That's amazing that you continued in your pursuit. My girlfriend did ballet for many years, and is now teaching it, and she tells me so many stories about point. I think it is such an important thing to have phrases or saying to live by, they truly are inspirational.
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ReplyDeleteWhile your example is one of triumph and optimism, I know of many families whose traditions and identity have devastated wonderful opportunities. Words and mottoes have power for great good or bad, especially in relation to identity.
ReplyDeleteI love that your family motto is so simple. I learned on my mission that we as humans respond to short powerful statements and tend to live by them because of how simply powerful they are... It amazes me how a few words can be the difference between giving up and successfully enduring to the end.
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