Lately I have been wearing lots of protection bangles – either with the Evil Eye on or the Hand Of Hamza. These are both symbols in the Middle East that are traditionally worn or hung in houses, to protect from evil. In particular they protect from people who are jealous of you and their ill wishes upon you, as a result of their jelousy.
I am not wearing them because I feel under attack or anything – it is just a bit of me enjoying my own stock. I sell them on Zara’s Zouk and have fallen sooooo in love with them - I just had to nick a few for myself. (Check them out here - also have hand hamza rings)
However, I have to say, I suppose - in a similar way to the placebo effect, I DO feel more “protected” and as a result a LOT MORE carefree, with the reassurance they bring.
It has somehow freed up my mind from worrying about what others think of me and what I am doing. That, has allowed me to concentrate more on what I am doing and the tasks I have in hand. Also, at the same time this has made me less worried about what others are doing. In no area has this been more FREEING than in the bellydance aspect of my life.
And I suppose the point of this blog is that I am here to scream from the roof tops:
STOP WORRYING ABOUT OTHER DANCERS
!!--FREE YOURSELF--!!
In two ways: Don’t worry about what they are doing
And
Don’t worry about what they think of what you are doing.
Trust me that energy worrying about those two things is a HEAVEY energy – you must know what I mean by heavy!? It’s negative; it’s depressing. It’s about something you have NO power whatsoever to change. And that is the important point – something you have no power to change - it’s an energy you are giving out and getting absolutely nothing back in return. And that is CRAZY! If energy was money it's basically the same thing as throwing money out your pockets in return for no services or purchases!!
So ask yourself:
Is the time I am putting out worrying about what other dancers will think if I … chose this song, do this style , start dancing in reasturants, dance at a particular hafla, wear this style costume…..
Or the energy I put into worrying that this dancer …. Got the gig I wanted, is progressing in class faster than me, is going to a certain festival, has a nicer bum than mine.......
…....IS IT WORTH THE ENERGY? --- what are you gaining from this ? or are you, like, just losing money from your pockets?
Instead concentrate your energy on:
YOURSELF – YOU! Yes YOU! And most importantly YOU AS A DANCER; who you are and where you are in your dance journey.
What songs and styles are inspiring you? – learn them; do them
What costumes make you look good? – buy them; wear them
What dance technique or aspects do you need to improve on? – improve on them; practice
Where do you want to take your dance career? – pursue it; achieve it!
You have the power to be the dancer you want to be
and if you concentrate your energies on yourself then you have the power for CHANGE. A positive change!
In the money analogy this is no longer a case of throwing money out of your pockets but instead INVESTING your money; investing in yourself. Paying out and getting something in return – something you can hold , show or grow.
So just do it girls (and guys) – stop worrying about what others think or what they are doing:
LOOK INTO YOURSELF
not others for that progression and dance contentment (can we ever be content? …. Maybe another blog post, lol ) you want.
LOVE AND SHIMMIES
Zara x x x
