Have you ever felt like you let an awesome opportunity pass you by or that it’s too late for you to fulfill a dream?
Let me assure you that your purpose is perfectly positioned for you. Your age doesn’t matter. Where you live is not a factor. How much money you have is of no consequence.
It may even look like living your dream will never happen. I am a firm believer that what God has for you; is for you.
I’ve had times of doubt because things seemed bleak at the time. I couldn’t see the lessons that I would learn by taking a step a faith because of my own insecurities. Had I taken advantage of certain opportunities earlier in my life, I don’t think I would have known how to handle them. Everything happens for reason and in due season.
When I was in college, I took my first formal ballet class. I had always loved to dance, and performed in a couple of different dance groups, but I had never taken lessons. In college, I was in a class with 20 other young men and women, all of whom had been taking ballet since childhood.
Here I was, a wide hip, black girl with thick thighs in a class of thin waif-like white young women. I did not look like I belonged. I wondered if I should have taken another path, but I stayed in the class and perfected my form. The next semester, I continued with another ballet class. Our final exam was to choreograph a dance. I called my dance “Black Orchid,” and I danced to Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon In The Sky.”
My professor was Robert Ivey, owner of the Robert Ivey Ballet company in Charleston, SC. He turned his chair backwards so that his legs straddled the seat and he rested his chin on the back of the seat. His black leather dance shoes poised perfectly on the floor.
I wanted to mimic the look of a black orchid, so I wore green knee-length gauchos over my black leotard. I held a sheer green scarf which I used to mimic a slight breeze. I had put a lot of thought and practice into the dance.
After I completed my dance, Mr. Ivey, sat silent for what seemed like forever. Then he said “Are you sure you’ve never taken lessons before, that was one of the most beautiful and graceful dances that I’ve ever seen.”
Then he asked me to consider taking lesson at his studio. He thought that I could pursue dance professionally!
I was shocked.
I didn’t look like the other dancers. I had only taken the two classes in college. I was short, black, and had thick thighs and hips. Ballerinas did not look like me. Quite frankly, I thought he was crazy, so I thanked him and turned down is offer.
For years, I wondered if I should have taken him up on the offer. Would I have been a world famous dancer? Did I miss my opportunity to travel the world with the “beautiful people?”
I will never know if I missed out on becoming a famous dancer, but I do know that God had other opportunities waiting for me.
Today, I dance for fun, usually when no one is watching me. I’ve had the opportunity to visit most states and several countries around the world. My passion for seeking out other cultures has led me to make some amazing friends and I must say that my life is fulfilling.
I still think about my college years of dancing and I believe that if I had taken that opportunity, that it would have been a wonderful experience, but not my only chance at success. You see, we all have many paths set before us. Our journey is not a “one and done.”
We don’t get just one chance to be great or happy. There are many opportunities awaiting you throughout your life. You just have to choose which ones you want to pursue. Believe me when I tell you that your purpose is perfectly positioned and waiting for you.
