Dance Like Everyone IS Watching

The other day we were in a big department store and there was a giant speaker on the floor, in the women’s fashion section, it had flashing lights to the beat of the music, so naturally my four-year-old was gravitated towards it and totally captivated. Suddenly an extra chirpy and happy song came on (our favorite at the moment, thanks PINK and Willow Hart), and my daughter started to dance. It was adorable, she was 100% in the moment she was definitely dancing like nobody was watching and really feeling the music.

As I watched her I wondered to myself, since when did I become so tightly wound up? Since when did I let others perceived opinions of me stop me from taking the action that I want? I was thinking about the opinions of others, and my brain was projecting what I thought they were thinking, but what if they were not thinking this at all? OMG it was a pivotal moment. How ridiculous and exhausting to always be worrying about others opinions. How did we get this way? This moment in time, was a catalyst for more deeper contemplation. Why are we consumed with others opinions of us? (and some people more so than others).

My dad used to say, “what you think of me is none of my business”. It is so true, it is their subjective opinion and it has nothing to do with me and you shouldn’t care. This is way easier said than done on an intellectual level than on a heart/emotional level of course.

Being authentically yourself does require vulnerability, I know Brene Brown has a lot to say on the matter, but if you are sure and confident in yourself, then you do not mind if certain people do not like you. YOU do not like everyone, that is just how the world works. The quicker you find internal peace the more freeing and liberating the world becomes. It is such a great feeling to show up in every situation as 100% yourself in the world.

That is not to say you are going to have your doubts. There is that quote floating around online at the moment, about not wanting to miss out on life from our own limitations. You know you don’t want to look back on your life at 70 and you didn’t experience that amazing rock pool and waterfall as you were worried about how your body looked in bathers? Or you didn’t eat that amazing cake, as you were worried about your weight.

Reality check; no one else cares, they are so worried about themselves to care. Or some people don’t let those sorts of thoughts consume them they are too busy admiring the wildflowers, and magnificence of the waterfall and nature surrounding them anyway.

It is freeing to be you, to do you, be unapologetically you, like a child. Or to be “child like”, to have a light spirit and to spark joy, like children do. They have such an innocent beauty about them, the way they make friends
with anyone, they don’t hug someone if it doesn’t feel right and they stop eating when they are full! Reminds me of the other day when I was trying to get my four-year-old to eat her breakfast, she said: “My tongue is worried about porridge today mum. My tongue doesn’t feel like it”. Ok, darling, I can’t argue with that, I will get you something else to eat. These little beings are so full of wisdom, they are a constant reminder to go deeper, to push through the fear and to do it anyway, to not care so much about the opinions of others. They live in the moment, with pure emotions and 100% feelings without second-guessing without judgment and without limiting beliefs.

Of course, we are adults and they are children, who do not understand social constructs, being politically correct or the way we should act in a civilized society and as an enlightened human being, but we can all take a little bit of this zest for life, a little bit of this pure authenticity.

So dance, sing, jump, laugh and play like everyone’s watching and never stop, because you are expressing your truest self in that moment and your heart, soul and kids will love it.

Adrianna Pearce is a mum to two children, a dreamer and an ocean and coffee lover. She Co-founds a Not for Profit in Adelaide, that connects people for friendship across generations (Uniity). She is passionate about brand communications that gets to the essence of people’s passion and purpose in business, find out more at Muse Creative. To follow her family adventures on Instagram @gypsyheartadventures