I used to have a dance group. We were a threesome, a 19-year old chatty teenager, a 55-year old baker who thinks she's still young, and me, the 30-year old yuppie. It was an odd group but we get along and we all enjoy dancing in our living room-studio. One day, we all decided to go to a real studio and enroll in a hip hop class.
At the dance floor, youngsters sprawled with their different cliques. A blond-haired guy with an Indonesian twang greeted everybody and signaled the start of the session. He started teaching us the routine where there's a new step for every single count. Each word in the song had a different strut. It was like doing a fast interpretative dance with a jumps, bounces, and turns. In our little dance group, I was accustomed to a single stride for every 8 beats and we would repeat it for the nth time until everyone gets it. Here, the teacher demonstrated the move once and then we have 2-3 tries to master it before the next one. This was so out of my league. I concentrated 110% to catch up. I had no time to assist my 55-year old friend, ask for cues from my teenager pal, or watch the other dancers. Everyone vanished from my view. Like a horse with blinders, I only focused on following the dance instructor and doing the piece perfectly.
I think it's the same when one embarks on a path of self-development. Looking at others and commenting on how they live their life takes away my time for introspection, prayer and reflection. In the end, it's how I live my life that matters. So, I only need to fix my gaze on the Supreme Teacher and check if I'm following His directions accurately. Then, I have a better chance of acing my dance routine in this life.
