Kimberlee K.

A few months ago I was in the middle of a Jazzercise class, standing behind a woman I’d never met before.

She wasn’t a regular in the class and had asked me to stand in front of her—“It’s been a while, so I won’t be very good.”—but I’d shaken her off and gotten into place behind her.

She was older than me, perhaps in her late 70’s, and she moved tentatively.

She abided by the rule that I love so much about Jazzercise which is to move at your own pace, but she grew frustrated by certain combinations that were difficult or fast. As a result, she would often stop, shrug her shoulders, and flip her hands palm side up. A forfeiting gesture that seemed to say, are you kidding me? I can’t do that.

And I related to her.

Can’t we all?

In the realm of exercise especially, there are things we all come across when we immediately think: no.

No, I can’t do that. I will never be able to do that. So I might as well just quit now.

Yes, I know this feeling.

And yes, I have let it give me reason to quit.

But that woman didn’t.

She stayed in front of me, stayed for the whole class.

She shrugged in frustration over and over and over, but she stuck it out, she kept dancing. She found her happy medium of simply moving, even if she wasn’t hitting the mark or keeping up with the tempo. She just kept going.

So I want to encourage you today, to shrug.

Shrug that frustrated shrug, offer that sarcastic laugh, shake your head cynically to hide that discouraged hurt underneath, but then keep going. Keep trying, keep moving, even if it’s not perfect.

Just don’t quit.

Don’t stop at the first sign of difficulty. Don’t immediately doubt the abilities you have failed to test. Don’t count yourself out before the music even starts.

Try and see what happens.

Don’t be afraid to start slow.

Don’t be afraid to be a beginner.

Shrug, try, and see where it takes you.