Glitterball Growth

Anyone who agrees to compete in Strictly Come Dancing knows they are signing up to a season of intense discomfort:

• gruelling training routines, often alongside an already busy job

• time away from family

• intense media scrutiny

• the real possibility of messing up in front of millions of viewers (forever captured and replayed on social media)

• public criticism from judges

• the fear of being voted off

• not to mention the ever-present threat of injury.

So, why are celebrities desperate to throw themselves into the scary world of Strictly? 
 
Because time and again, over the 21 series, we hear the same reports:
“It has been the most incredible thing I have ever done."
“I’ve discovered I can do so much more than I thought.”
“Strictly has changed my life.”
“I have learned so much more about who I am and what I am capable of.”
"I am not the same person now that I was when I started."
 
This year we have seen Angela Rippon showing us that old age is not a barrier to incredible flexibility; Krishnan Guru-Murthy and his family discovering that there is a whole new playful side to the otherwise serious newsreader; and Annabel Croft finding healing and strength through opening herself up to new possibilities and challenges in the midst of vulnerability.
 
21 years of Strictly underlines the important principle that moving out of our comfort zone and embracing challenge, fear and vulnerability is the key to unlocking new discoveries about ourselves: uncovering talents, strengths and qualities that we never knew we had.
 
Brené Brown says:
“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.”  

What does being courageous mean for you? Could it be choosing to be vulnerable? Being willing to have a go, even if success isn’t guaranteed? Embracing the unknown? Giving up a sense of control? Choosing to do something that scares you? Something else?
 
If we want to be leaders who continue to grow and learn and don’t settle for staying as we are, let’s learn from the Strictly stars, say yes and see where that journey takes us.