Learning a New Dance

photo by Marcello Gambetti

When I was a young dancer at the School of American Ballet, I would often talk myself out trying difficult things before I even got started. A teacher would show a complicated turning combination or we’d have some crazy new throw in partnering class and I’d freak out. Quietly. On the inside. My fears far outweighed the slender shreds of optimism I might have had and kept me paralyzed. It was a response pattern that held me back from achieving more.

For most of us this...