Dance Like There’s Nobody Watching

Joshua Bell

 

In an essay in USA Weekend, Virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell recalled the time he entered his first violin competition: 

I was 11 years old and nervous. I began with the worst blunder of my life, my fingers slipping off the violin entirely. My heart sank as a I realized that I could never win over the judges. So I gave up trying to be perfect, which, amazingly, resulted in a wonderful sense of freedom. I gave the best performance of my life, taking home a prize.

Sarah Hughes

Bell’s story called to mind the goose bump-generating performance of 16-year-old Sarah Hughes, who vaulted from fourth place to a gold medal in figure skating in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Thinking she was out of contention, a pressure-free Hughes skated with joyous abandon. Her flawless, free-spirited performance was one of the most technically demanding routines in the history of Olympic women’s competition. She pulled off seven triple jumps—five in combination—then nailed a huge triple toe loop-triple loop combo. It was a performance for the ages, and it was only possible because Hughes skated in a spirit of celebration rather than competition. Afterwards, she told the press:

I skated for pure enjoyment. That’s how I wanted my Olympic moment to be.

I’m betting that everyone reading this can relate. When pressure bears down on us like a freight train, we typically wilt. It’s in those magical moments when we use our God-given talents for the sheer joy of expressing them that we give the performance of our lives.

There is no worse sickness for the soul, o you who are proud, than this pretense of perfection.
                                                                      Rumi

Ah, but how do we shrug off the pressure and give ourselves over to the joy of the moment, the joy of simply being alive? In a word, surrender. Call it surrender to God, to divine will, to the universe, or simply to life itself—peak performance comes when we drop the ego and our own self-importance.

You’ve gotta’ dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt.
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.
                                                          William Purkey

 

ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA

Phil is the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent people he interviewed, including Joan Borysenko, Deepak Chopra, geneticist Dr. Francis Collins, acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford, Dr. Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Dr. Bernie Siegel, James Van Praagh, singer Billy Vera, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, and bassist Victor Wooten.

Here is a three-minute video that introduces you to Phil and his book.

Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories. Click here to read unsolicited testimonials from readers. Learn more by visiting the official Sixty Seconds website.

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Tags: dance like there's nobody watching, drop your ego, figure skating, joy, live like it's heaven on earth, love like you'll never be hurt, Olympics, perform with abandon, Rumi, Sarah Hughes, sing like there's nobody listening, spiritual, surrender, surrender to God, William Purkey