First Hipnotic Belly Dance Meetup

So, we had our first official Hipnotic Belly Dance meetup on Sunday, May 31st. What a great time! My obvious, initial concern was that no one would show up; but thankfully, we had a group of 13, which was fantastic. I always have a serious case of anxiety when starting something new, even after all this time spent dancing and teaching, but once people started showing up, everything just seemed to flow. We ordered a round of drinks and that was it! Going around the table introducing ourselves, I realized that although everyone has a different reason for being a belly dancer or being interested in belly dancing, the bottom line was really self-confidence--either having some or needing a bit of a boost.

Although it felt wonderful to be in a group of beautiful, talented, intelligent women talking about something we all love in our own way, there was always something just below the surface; I'm not that good, I am afraid to do a solo, I could never show my stomach, People would laugh at me...Each of these remarks was immediately met with the other women shaking their heads in unity, giving words of encouragement or sharing a similar thought.

Of course this got me thinking about my own confidence issues. It's almost as if, as women, we need to hate things about ourselves or we feel guilty. We are never quite thin enough, tall enough, smart enough, sexy enough. Fill in your own blanks. I know I can, a thousand times over. So why do we feel this way?

Maybe it started with a comment in school, something a boyfriend said once, something we've seen on TV. But once we realize that what we are doesn't always mirror what we see around us, it's as if we have to find faults in ourselves every day from that day forward. But I think we can change that. How can we take our self-images, our egos, our confidences, and put them into the hands of anyone but ourselves? We need to take all of that back!

To change the way you feel about yourself, change the way you look at other women. Instead of noticing every "bad" attribute you feel someone has, focus on something great. Compliment at least one person every day in a true and genuine way. Say "thank you" and "you're welcome," and mean it. Give your brightest smile to someone who looks down in the dumps. Call your mother, call your sister, call your friend and tell her that you love her and that she is beautiful.

When you aren't so hard on other people, you will slowly stop being so hard on yourself. The ease of noticing the beauty in others will become ease in noticing the beauty in yourself.

So maybe this group of gorgeous ladies can start a revolution! Maybe we can accept ourselves and others for who we are, what we can do, our strengths, our weaknesses, our lumps, our bumps, and every single other thing that makes each of us the women we are.

Will you join us?