When Everyone tells you "No"

Ballet is one of the hardest worlds to be a part of.  The art of dancing is a never-ending impossible struggle to perfection, contorting your body in ways that aren't meant to be possible.  Twisting your hips to create perfect turnout, dancing on your toes in metal pointe shoes, and the constant goal to look elegant and beautiful.

Beyond the struggles of dancing itself, there are certain biological "musts" to determine if you have a future in ballet:

1) Are your feet strong enough
2) Do you have high enough arches?
3) Do you have a natural turn out?
4) Are you petite?
5) About 1000 other random biological factors that can "determine" if you will become successful or not.

But what if it's your dream?  What if you have to dance?  And what if everyone tells you that it's biologically impossible for you to be successful?  I love the video above that shows that it IS possible to overcome the uncontrollable barriers we all have.

I dance at the Metropolitan Ballet Academy in Plymouth Minnesota, and a professional ballerina, Aynsley Inglis (check out her website, she is goooorgeous), came from New York to teach a week long Summer intensive.

The way Aynsley dances is beautiful and lovely, her career has gone far, and she is very successful.  At the end of the summer intensive, Aynsley looked at us and said "We all have our own physical limitations, I have scoliosis, but I worked to overcome it in my dancing."  She has SCOLIOSIS!  Her spine isn't straight!  When so much of ballet relies on perfect balance and movement, having scoliosis could EASILY be looked at as a career changer.  Despite this, Aynsley's will was more powerful than her biological fault, and she worked harder than many with perfect physiques, to become successful, and she did.

And she also won the #1spot in my book for the most inspiring person I know.

Sometimes when everything is against you and everyone is telling you no, the critique can actually be a gift.  Take the discouragement and prove to yourself, your body, and everyone else that they are wrong, and that they never should have told you no.

What is something that is getting in the way of your dreams?  Lets start a conversation and brainstorm ways to overcome them!