I have a habit of seeking true life stories that inspire human resilience. I was first taught this habit in a self-help book of some form. The suggestion was to continually read, listen and watch inspiring stories of human resilience. Over the last ten years, various forms of psychological studies have confirmed this to be a good habit to form.
During the last week I came across many examples of human resilience, and found I felt encouraged almost daily. Upon reflection, there was a lot to be encouraged about. There were two videos of people recovering from cancer, a teen’s willingness to battle the continual complications of Type-1 diabetes that invaded his body at 20 months old, a mid-40’s mother beginning an experimental new treatment for the lupus that has plagued her since she was 23, the opportunity to experience NYC on the 12th anniversary of 9/11, Silver Rose’s honest blog of living with the grief after losing a life mate….and watching Aaron Turner on the final show television show of So You Think You Can Dance.
For the record, I do not watch competition shows. I basically detest the concept of being judged in public. I basically detest the thought that mere mortals think they have the right to pass judgment — many times, caustic judgment — on a person after they have given their all. And for the record, I know Aaron, admired his ability before the TV show, and I am biased and unqualified to determine technical dancing skill.
All that being said, as this week has progressed, I continued to sit with the lessons I learned from Aaron on Tuesday night. As background, he had tried not once, but twice to get on that show, and each time was cut early on. This time he not only made the cut, but he worked his talent to the final judgment.
What he taught me was to it was time to look back on things I wanted to accomplish that did not work out the first time — or second. He has left me wondering if I have stopped trying too soon. Then he taught me the best lesson of all. In addition to being resilient — which takes lots of courage — talented and driven, he was gracious when he did not claim the top spot. He was reflective, appreciative to his supporters and family, and he immediately looked toward the future. All that and only 24 year old.
The quote “Delay is not Defeat” has been a theme this week…I can’t wait to see what incredible things come from Aaron’s delay…because this is a young man who will clearly never be defeated.
PS: Aaron has asked that we follow his progress on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dance10Aaron
With appreciation, Andrea
