Remember when you were a kid? What was important to you then? When you think of your life now, do you think that younger you would be proud of who you are now?
So often as we grow older, we become shaped by the people and things around us, and we forget who we truly are. Can you relate? Here’s an example:
After I finished graduate school, I felt so lost. Everything I thought I’d have for myself seemed to have fallen apart. My common-law partner had passed away, so I had no family. My application for a postdoc was unsuccessful, so I had no academic career, and worse, I was kind of happy it had failed, so maybe I didn’t even want to do what I had trained for 12 years for. I felt like I had completely let myself down. But, as I was cleaning some stuff out of my parents’ house, I came across a “time capsule” from 1999.
Do you know what Grade 12 Melanie’s future goals were?
1. Have a career I love
2. Never stop having fun
3.Do an aerial cartwheel
I had gotten so tied up in the rat-race of life that I had completely forgotten what my true values were. I did not actually want to be a career-driven career-driven, do-it-all mom. I just wanted to be a fun-loving, energetic, athletic person.
It turns out I had failed myself, but not in the way I had thought.
A few years later, I was in a similar situation. I had moved across Ontario for a job that I was not passionate about, I and I felt like I was failing in every part of my life again. I found a local pole studio that focused more on embodied movement than tricks. I was curious and really just looking to reconnect with a pole community (I had been pole dancing for a while at this point).
The instructor put on some music and we just moved.
At first I felt a little timid. But once I let go and really got into it, I felt so focused. I felt at once super connected and disconnected from my body. I felt every bit of movement, but I didn’t feel like I was directing it with my brain. It was just moving and creating and being free. It was exhilarating!
I felt so liberated; I felt like me! Not like a struggling researcher, a failing pole dancer, or a lonely widow, but just like me. I was the fun-loving, energetic me who just wanted to live a good life and do an aerial cartwheel. I had never felt so comfortable and unapologetic in my own skin before. It was like I knew exactly who I really was and had no need to hide.
This experience with pole dance was actually the reason I chose to open Volair. I understand how it feels to lose your identity. To feel like you have to fit yourself into a certain role. For me, it was the role of widow and researcher. For many women it is trying to be everything a mother, wife, entrepreneur, career-woman, etc., “should” be. The reality is, if we are living our lives as our true selves, we can approach all of our roles authentically and actually enhance what we are doing, and truly thrive in all we do.
Volair’s Signature Program is designed to help you rediscover your authentic self. To (re)identify your true values and become comfortable in your own skin so you can truly shine in your life. Imagine what life could be if you didn’t have to hide; if you had the confidence to show up in everyday situations as your true self, to contribute your unique gifts.
In our 4-week program, you’ll set and achieve goals aligned with your values, reconnect your mind and body, and build confidence to live your life authentically, helping you shine in all your roles. For more information, check out our website www.volairfitness.com/signature-program or call or text 905-299-4120.
Want to check out the studio before committing? Join us for a single intro class or a week of unlimited classes. Or gather your friends and book a party with us!
348 Bronte St, Unit 15, Milton, Ontario, Canada L9T 5B6
905.299.1963 | www.volairfitness.com
