For two months I’ve been searching for a Zumba class.  If you’ve never heard of it, it’s the latest and most fun thing I’ve done in awhile.  It’s essentially a dance aerobic exercise routine inspired by Latin dance.    Think Salsa, Mamba, Cha, Cha Cha.

After a tremendous amount of Google searches, I finally located one about 15 minutes from my home and I took my first class on Monday. Now,  keep in mind that I am not a dancer.  I am more of an athlete but lately I’ve wanted to make my workouts more fun and not so much “I’m working out for the sake of working out” which to me has become completely mundane and boring.    There were about 6 other women there.  There was some teaching involved as most of the time you are performing dance moves.  I was totally excited.  I learned some of the steps and others took me a little longer.  Much of the time, I was turning to the right, while others were turning to the left.  I couldn’t always keep up and I didn’t come close to matching what my instructor was doing.  My hips weren’t as flexible and my style wasn’t as sassy but the music was inspiring but I left in a sweat with a smile on my face.

What was interesting was that three women approached me separately encouraging me not worry about getting it right.  They told me not to get discouraged as I was likely to feel frustrated the first time.  Was I wearing a sign on my back? I wondered because if I was, I didn’t give permission to whoever put it there. It was nice of them to say this to me.  They were probably being supportive. 

But, here’s the thing about what I’ve learned as a life coach and what I try and impart upon my clients who are trying something new for the first time. 

1. Get clear on your objective.  Remember what your goal is.  For me, I wanted to have fun and try something new.  Add some zest to my routine.  I had tons of fun.
2. Worrying is useless.  Accept that you will make mistakes, screw up and not look perfect.  Who cares???  When you’re focused on looking good or being impeccable, you suck the joy out of the process. 
3. It takes thousands of hours to become an expert at anything.  Malcolm Gladwell says it takes exactly 3,000 hours.  The Michael Jordan’s, Bill Gates and Beethoven’s of this world all spent at least this amount of time honing their craft. 
4. Love what you’re doing no matter what.  If not, stop doing it.  If you must do the thing(s) you hate doing, change your thoughts about it.  You’re more likely to find your soul mate, make a living, and discover your real passion by doing what you love then doing what you hate. 
5. There are no rules.  You can make up your life each and every day.  Start by changing your routine. Take a different route to work or the grocery store.  Ride a bike instead of jogging, read a book instead of watching T.V.  Just do something different. 

Remember, when we stop changing, we stop growing.  The routine of our life may feel safe and familiar but it can also be as dull and mundane as going to the gym everyday. 

Shake up your life and you may just notice an extra zumba in your step !