Two months after my dad died, I started taking ballroom dancing lessons and found a new PASSION that brought so much joy and pleasure to my life. Not only did I enjoy dancing itself, but there were so many things about dance that translated to everyday life. I used to share with people that dance was like life coaching on steroids. While I only took one lesson a week and came to Friday night dance parties, it was the one thing that brought me joy and pleasure that I looked forward to every week. I felt ALIVE when I was on the dance floor. For the first time in my life, I was starting to become ME.
Do you remember the last time you found PASSION in something you enjoyed so much that it totally fueled your soul? Something where you felt FULLY ALIVE in the essence of who you are?
That is what DESIRE does for us. Desire is NOT selfish, gluttonous or self-serving.
DESIRE is a gift that God planted in our hearts.
DESIRE is causative.
DESIRE calls us forward.
DESIRE is the fuel that allows growth and transformation to occur.
Life is found in the dance between your DEEPEST DESIRE and your GREATEST FEAR!!
When we begin to understand the POWER of DESIRE, we can use it to call us forward in life. However, most of the time, we feel GUILTY for THINKING about what we DESIRE, let alone CLAIM what we DESIRE.
Last year around this time, I found myself in a place of feeling frustrated and unhappy. The previous year I had found this new love of dance and wished I could be in the dance studio more often, but I made some decisions for my family that would give my son an amazing opportunity to go to an elite private school for hockey and as a result, I put MY DESIRES aside.
I had some money put away and did a showcase, but I was not continuing to build my regular dance program. I came to a point where I was starting to feel resentful. Yes, I LOVE my kids, AND at the same time I DESIRED more.
I had friends say things like
… Sacrifice this time for your son, you will have other chances in a few years to take more dance lessons.
… This is only a small period of time in your life you can wait.
… Dancing is expensive, are you sure you can’t find a less expensive hobby
… You can find something else that bring your joy and pleasure
I got to a point I was so angry and resentful. I was taking all my hard-earned money and spending it on him as opposed to spreading the love across all of us, including me. I did some journaling and wrote down EVERYTHING I was ANGRY ABOUT and then decided to turn it around.
I no longer wanted to be ANGRY or RESENTFUL. I wanted to feel FREE. I wanted to feel ALIVE. There is NOTHING wrong with me claiming what I DESIRE. If I wanted, I could pay for dance AND for my son’s school. Why does it have to be one of the other?
I learned it doesn’t have to be an EITHER/OR model.
I learned claiming my desire calls me AND my kids forward.
I learned how to manage my mindset so that I didn’t have to sacrifice my dreams.
I learned to stop waiting for the perfect time
I learned to stop waiting for the money to arrive.
I said YES to TRUE DESIRE, and God unfolded all the rest.