There is nothing on the floor but dust

At the end of one of the first chapters in the 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss recommends acting kind of crazy in public. He suggested lying down in the street as people walked by, for example. The point? To practice living life unconventionally. To practice taking risks.

I’m not into lying down in public (unless it’s on a grassy knoll) but I do love the idea of putting your physical body on the line as a form of cross-training for your entrepreneurial journey.

Cross-train: to learn different, usually related, tasks, skills, jobs, etc.

Cross-training is incredibly important for entrepreneurs. You must build up your mental toughness, concentration, risk-taking muscles and more when you are building a business. It is not for the faint of heart and physical activity that puts your body at risk in some, even small, way strengthens your ability to take risks, handle setbacks, think strategically and clearly, and remain calm in the face of chaos. All things that will make you a better entrepreneur.

That’s why, when I got the idea for Dance + Coaching on the treadmill last November, I knew I had to make it happen.

Dance + Coaching took place on Saturday, February 18th and it was pure, unadulterated magic. I freaking loved every minute of it and there were so many brilliant takeaways, some of which I’d like to share here.

Dance + Coaching was led by brilliant Broadway dancer (also my dear friend), Robert Hartwell. Robert dropped so many gems as he killed us with a hardcore “warm up” (more like an army boot camp) and then led us through choreography to Beyoncé’s Formation.

Here are a few gems Robert dropped:

• While planking (and during a few other exercises) Robert told us, “there is nothing on the floor but dust.” He implored us to hold our heads up high, look ourselves in the mirror and go after what we want. When we struggled through the last few seconds of planking he told us to, “think about that person that told you no or that thing you want that’s out there, look yourself straight in the eye and go get it.”
• While we were learning the choreography he encouraged us to bring everything we’ve got to every single step, every dance move. “Control what you can control.” What that means is you’ve got to bring everything you’ve got to what you are presenting to the world, that’s one of the few things you can control in this world, so really give your presentation all that you have.
• While practicing the dance steps, Robert told us to “focus on your own ministry,” ie, don’t look to see what your neighbor is doing, just bring all that you’ve got to give. (That just so happens to be some really great business advice).
• Lastly, Robert reminded us that there is nowhere to hide when dancing. The audience sees everything you are doing, your insecurities and every missed step, so you might as well dance full out. Even if you miss a step, your audience will be captivated by your commitment to give it everything you’ve got. I personally think this is so incredibly true in business as well, there is no point in hiding, just bring what you’ve got and commit to it with fervor.

After 90 minutes of “warm up” and dancing, we sat down for a healthy Southern brunch and some coaching and discussion. Here are some of the things we discussed:

• We talked about the importance of cross-training when you’re going after something you really want. I shared that I don’t workout for weight loss, I workout to build mental toughness so I am ready for the fight that is building my business every single day.
• Together as a group, we brainstormed how to get one attendee a TEDx speaking gig (a fellow attendee had a connection to a TEDx organizer and agreed to make an introduction).
• We helped another attendee figure out how to fill her coaching practice with new clients as well as her next retreat. She went home with specific, strategic action steps to take to make it happen.
• We talked through the fear we deal with when we want to take action but we are so incredibly scared to fail. At the end of that discussion, an attendee committed to quitting her job that Monday!! Another woman vowed to launch her new website by March 1st.
• We also discussed how to make selling easier, the important of camaraderie as single mothers, speaking openly about depression and so much more. Being in a group of women who are willing to share their deepest fears and struggles, support each other and find ways to help each other was so incredibly beautiful. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

It was an absolute privilege to host Dance + Coaching for the amazing women who attended. A huge thank you to Robert Hartwell for being such an amazing and inspiring teacher check him out in Hello, Dolly! with Bette Midler on Broadway, premiering March 15th. We were all having so much fun that I completely forgot to get photos of most of it. But I did get this video of our Formation dance routine.

[vimeo width=”800″ height=”600″]https://vimeo.com/206790018[/vimeo]

Enjoy and be sure to make sure you are at my next coaching event, never underestimate the immense transformation that can happen when you spend just a couple of hours in community with like-minded women.