Born with a muscle disorder that affected his legs, Luca “LazyLegz” Patuelli didn’t allow his condition to stop him from doing what he loves most, dancing.

His inspiring story  of overcoming his disabilty swept both Canada, the US, and the rest of the world. He performs breakdancing, won the judges’ hearts in the popular show “So You Think You Can Dance” and has appeared in the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Speaking of dance, while cleaning up my daughter’s room, I found a stray note entitled “So You Can’t Dance?”. As a fanatico of the art, it moved my soul like upbeat music. I started to dance with a song in my mind.

So You Can’t Dance

So you can’t dance? Not at all?
Not even one step?
How can you say that you’ve taken any trouble to live when you won’t even try to dance?

Dance
Is music made visible.
Is the world most famous metaphor.
Is silent poetry.
Is the mother of all arts.

Dance is the hidden language of the soul.
Dancers are the athletes of God.
Nothing is more revealing than DANCING.
Dancing is dreaming with your feet.

DANCE to EXPRESS, not to impress
Dance first, think later, it’s the natural order.
Dance like nobody’s watching.
Let the music move your body.

All it takes is to convince your mind to move your feet.
No one can arrive from being talent alone.
God gives talent, work transgresses talent
To touch, to move, to inspire
This is the true gift of Dance
Everyone can Dance.
The only way to do it, is to believe in yourself and do it!

Dance teaches us a lot about life.  One either moves and flows with the music, or holds back. In a world that plays the music of love, pain, joy, grief and grace, the way to live is to take brave and wise steps, express oneself, believe in the best, and dance with others.

This poem and Luca remind us that disability is all in the mind. We have gifts inside of us, abilities untapped, and talents that are yet to be discovered and used.

Believe, talk yourself into the music, and take bold steps.

Standing and waiting gets us nowhere. Dance!

Did you like this article? Love to hear your comments. Do send it!

There are perhaps a thousand success advice that we can take from the Internet, books or conferences. We can pick one and put it in our head, but the key is to actually apply it continuously in our lives until it becomes a habit. In 2011, I picked out 10 lessons that I promised myself I will consciously put into practice. I tell you that these work because it did work for me in 2010. So here goes:

1. Practice appreciation. Have a sense of  gratitude for what you already have and you’ll find yourself more at peace. What’s best, more blessings will come into your life!
2. Learn how to accept “what is”. Accept your present situation, limitations, and capabilities. Take the lessons, and learn how let go. I once heard of this saying “A bird once came into my life, my mother said let it go, if it comes back it’s yours. If it doesn’t it was not meant to be.” This is so true in life.
3. Take a stock of life and do what’s most important. Prioritize whatever you believe to be true for you. If today is the last day of your life, what would you prefer you would do and who do you want to be with?
4. Smile though your heart is breaking. At times you will be challenged, your world will seem to be crashing down. Rest if you must, weep to let it out, and then smile. Trust that it will eventually sort itself out and everything will be all right. Nothing is permanent, “everything shall pass.”
5. Have a sense of wonder and adventure like a child. “Unless you become a children of God you will not enter the kingdom of God”. We only live once, do what you want today and do not worry too much about tomorrow.
6. Do what’s hard. Speak your truth and what’s true deep inside your heart. Worry not what others may think and have judgment of you. What they think is their issue not yours. In the end you are the only one who will be accountable to yourself.
7. Be decisive, take action and trust divine intervention. Big things in life happen when we take the plunge and jump over the fence. We only regret the things we did not do, not so much the things we do. Do it now!
8. Nurture yourself and fall in love like never before. “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all” as the song goes. Unless you love yourself you can never love someone else. Savor the miracle of love just like the first time you fell really in love. Everything else are in vibrant colours. So why not color your life now and continue to share with others too?
9. Meditate, be at peace, and live a life of flow and ease. There is nothing like living in love, peace and joy.  Radiate love everywhere you go.
10. Connect to the past, live in the moment and let the event and circumstances unfold. Past is history, future may never happen, you only have this moment. Live the life you imagine now. Live your life today for tomorrow may never come.

So before the first month of 2011 ends, I hope that you will take to heart the importance of giving life the best of you – not tomorrow but today, the here and now.

So what are you going to do to make it happen for you this year? Take your passion and live and create the life you want. If you can imagine it, and believe on it it shall come to pass. We create our own life and that moment is now.

Cheers to the best of 2011! May all your wildest dreams and wishes come true because they do. Sending you my big hugs!