Show up, be who you are, share your gifts...
“You just have to determine to settle for nothing less than being fully alive, to show up, be who you are, and share your gifts.” Gabrielle Roth
Show up
Be who you are
Share your gifts
Sounds like a pretty good 3 point plan.
Definitely a reminder of what a 5Rhythms teacher needs to do every time they have a class. But also a good strategy for any situation on or off the dancefloor, where we actually want to make meaningful contact with another human being.
But those steps aren’t always as straightforward as they sound.
Show up
How much courage does it take to walk through the door of a new situation?
How much courage does it take just to ask the question of whether or not that class, that meeting, that event is one at which you’ll be welcome?
I recently started performing my poems at open mic nights in Leeds. I know, that just showing up in the first place is a big step. Actually putting my name on the list of performers is another big step. Standing up when the compere calls my name, rather than pretending that I didn’t hear, is a big step. And this is all before I’ve even opened my mouth to recite a poem.
So, if you’ve literally and physically shown up for a situation which is unfamiliar (or one which is familiar, but which is also familiarly uncomfortable) then you’re doing good. Maybe, on this occasion it’s all you have to do. Just be in the room.
You’ll know whether or not you’re ready to take another step.
Be who you are
You’ve shown up, but are you showing up as you, or as the carefully filtered and curated you?
Being seen and heard is nerve-wracking. Being honest takes courage. Sometimes we flip into playing a character without even realising it, just because that’s how we’ve learned to cope with the stressful and the unfamiliar.
Gabrielle tends to demand high standards from the students of the 5Rhythms practice, and the apparently simple instruction “be who you are” is no exception. Because she recognises that when we are pretending to be less, more, or just different from who we really are then we’re not allowing ourselves to be “fully alive”.
When I do stand up to read my poems, I often start out with a persona of “angry young (middle-aged) man”. I need to play that role to get over the start line. Once I’m up and running, I can drop the act and be more of myself - accepting the possibility of vulnerability, the possibility of messing up or falling apart, and not being afraid to let people see how afraid I am.
It takes determination to drop the act, but once we do, life is actually easier. Pretending is a lot of work.
Share your gifts
In a big way, you’re already sharing a gift with the people around you, just by following steps 1 and 2 - showing up and being yourself. It can give other people the courage to do the same.
But is there more? Are you a secret painter, song writer, comedian? Do you have great ideas or expertise that could help other people to move their projects along? Are you, right in this moment, the perfect diplomat to help two people see that their differences are not as intractable as they seem?
Is there something that you’re holding back, which actually could benefit the situation? And, by sharing it, would you also be helping yourself to come more fully alive? If we’re not fully expressed, then we’re blocking some of that vital juiciness of life.
You may not know straight away whether your gift has really been accepted, or whether it’s been of benefit. You’re going to have to trust your instincts on that one.
Where can you show up today? How can you be more of yourself? What can you share?