I was so embarrassed.  More to come on that later…

Recently, we’ve discussed the creative application of readily available and even dissimilar resources.

This includes approaching problems with a different type of mindset – Using a consciously-reasoned point of view to directly utilize your unique skills, talents, and interests in impactful ways.

We can see what positive, useful things we can learn and apply to our daily lives from seemingly unrelated fields.

We can also mine for personal-development gold in vivid and creative imagery.

Let’s discuss a profound comment I heard over six years ago.  We’ll look at three distinct yet related things, integrate some ideas, and in a future post consider some daily-life insights based on the vivid imagery derived from that comment.

And the three things are…

• Movement
• The Tango
• A New Ferrari

Latin Dance

I took dance classes for roughly a full year around 2010, and for a total of two years after starting and stopping a few times.  This was the first time I had taken a job outside of my home state, and I figured this was a good way to get out and meet new people

There were various styles taught at the dance studio where I studdied.  I tried many – two step, waltz, and ballroom to name a few.  The teachers encouraged this so the students could become well-rounded.

From my first class I had my heart set on specific style:

Latin dance

Latin dance is charismatic.  Dancers trained extensively in this genre know how to take hold of a room smoothly, effortlessly, and with pronounced grace.  Many project a receptive yet dominant demeanor, and have an observable mastery over their environment.

I learned Salsa first.  This is still my go to party dance.  For reference, it’s also an easy dance to teach on a first date.

I wasn’t great at cha-cha, or merengue.  Bachata was visually stunning, but very difficult and highly technical.

Finally, I became acquainted with my learning tool – The Tango.

The tango has a broad and sweeping, yet decisive movement quality.  It’s like ballroom in that you’ll use the entire floor – so much so, that it’s difficult to use it in a club setting.

Something unique about the tango is its driving force combined with its grace.  You chose your direction, set your frame, and you and your partner drive forward together like a united team.

Like a new Ferrari.

(My dad has often related a story about two oxen pulling a cart which applies here.  I’ll go into detail on that in a future post).

The Ferrari Story

After a couple weeks of practice, I was getting frustrated.  My twin pair of left feet did a lot of hopping and bouncing and abrupt starting and stopping (things typically not associated with tango).

It seemed my teacher was getting frustrated too.  There are only so many ways you can explain something to a hard-headed student who stubbornly refuses to “get” it.

As the bright Texas sun was rising in the east we were engaged in an early morning practice session.  And suddenly, we abruptly stopped.

My teacher looked at me and said:

“Good sir, you’re moving like a used Prius…  You need to move like a new Ferrari.”

That got my attention.

After that timely observation, I gradually started to get the hang of it.  Although I never became a great tango dancer, I’ve always remembered what my teacher said.

Over time, the simple imagery in this statement began to have more than just a dance application.  I started to see ways it could apply to daily life on a broad scale – much more than just physically.

How does a Ferrari move?  Could we say it’s fast, smooth, and deliberate?

Maybe it’s cool?

Metaphorically, it’s strong, forceful, and has a driving energy with lots of reserve power, and plenty of gas in the tank.

Once the driver makes the decision to move, a car like that can win a legal race in one fell swoop.  It stands out in a crowd.  It is what it is, and it would never hide that fact.

In Part 2 of this post we’ll take some time to bring this idea home, and discuss about some concrete real world applications for both this metaphor and others like it.  In other words, we’ll find out where the rubber meets the road.

Do you see ways in which a metaphor like that of a sports car might be useful or applicable imagery for daily life?

What are some unique metaphors, sayings, or ideas which have positively impacted your life in creative, “outside the box” type ways?

Speaking of dancing, a few of my favorite dance movies are:

Step Up
Step Up 2 The Streets
Shall We Dance?

Photo Credit:
Mihai Blanaru © 123RF.com
blanarum / 123RF Stock Photo