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Debi Haden

From the blog

Do the unexpected!

unexpected life

Although my weight has always been an issue for me, I’ve at times pushed beyond it and done the unexpected things that have put me out of my comfort zone. We can let our view of ourselves stop us experiencing great things, instead putting our life on hold ‘until’ we are the right weight, the right size etc!

Don’t let your desire to be fit and healthy, and your fear of what others will think of you stop you doing things.  I’d share one of my past experiences, and you would never believe in a month of Sundays what it would be! A number of years ago I got the chance to work as a coach on a channel 4 documentary, that was filmed over an 18 month period called ‘Ballet saved my life, Ballet Hoo!’ – it was a collaboration between Birmingham Royal Ballet and Youth at Risk and took 100 young ‘disaffected’ people and trained them in Ballet, alongside their professional dancers, with the finale being a C4 televised production of them and the professional dancers doing Romeo and Juliet. My role was to coach some of the young people and run workshops for them. The coaches were offered the chance to perform with the others on the stage at the Birmingham hippodrome, an amazingly scary prospect as it would to a packed house and an hour long TV showing, and initially I said no! Not because I didn’t want to, who would in their right mind turn down this fabulous opportunity after all…

It was because I told myself I couldn’t do it, I’d look ridiculous, I focused on what I though others would think, and you know what, they only thought good things. The dancers and the teachers from the BRB and especially the kids were fab and supported me to take part. I had the most amazing time and look back on this experience as one of the most amazing times I’ve had. I almost let this opportunity slip away because I was waiting for my ‘until’ moment, thank goodness I didn’t!
Take a moment to think about what opportunities or experiences you have put on hold with your ‘until’ moment!
Stop waiting and start doing, as they say carpe et diem – seize the day!

Some happy memories of my great experience can be found here, and in case you were wondering I played the role of a female market woman!