Learn to Dance in the Rain

by Steve Rizzo

A few years ago, I spent four wonderful days at the Four Seasons Hotel in Kona, Hawaii, where I had the pleasure of speaking to a wonderful group of Top Sales Performers and spouses of a well-known financial group. My job was to give them the tools they need to embrace the changes and intense growth they were currently experiencing and will inevitably continue to experience in the coming years. I knew the tension was high, but I was prepared.

One morning, two hours before my speech, I was having breakfast at a restaurant with a captivating view of the ocean. As the waitress was pouring my coffee, I asked, “Why is it that no matter where they are, or what they are doing, Hawaiian people always seem to be happy and at peace with themselves? Is there some kind of secret that I should know about? And if there is, can you please tell me?”

She laughed and looked around as if to make sure that no one was listening and in a low voice she replied, “Mr. Rizzo, today is your lucky day. For today I will tell you the secret that most Hawaiian people live by.” She sat down in the chair next to me, motioned me to get closer and whispered in my ear: “We learn to dance in the rain.” Before I had a chance to respond, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a laminated card, handed it to me and said, “This is for you. It really is a secret that should be shared with everyone.”

“Don’t wait for the storms of your life to pass. Learn to dance in the rain.”

Read that again, my friend. As a Funny Wellness Speaker, I believe that statement is a touchstone for living a successful, happier life — especially when you are experiencing intense change and growth of any kind. That, in part, is the message I shared with the financial group.

“Dancing in the rain” is an attitude that truly happy and successful people live by, and few dancers come by it naturally. Can you learn to dance in the rain when the storms of change and misfortune are pouring down on you? I believe the answer is “yes.” It’s a matter of shifting your focus and way of thinking when times are tough that makes the difference.

That is to say, when the storms of life are pouring down on you, you can muster up enough courage to dance and bless the things that life has given you, or, you can drown as you curse your challenges and unfortunate circumstances. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take dancing over drowning any day!!

*This post originally appeared on SteveRizzo.com.

Steve Rizzo is more than a Funny Motivational Speaker. Don’t let the laughter fool you! What Steve brings to the table is his captivating ability to engage the attendees with laughter as he challenges them to SHIFT their focus and way of thinking to discover greater enthusiasm, increased productivity and new levels of success. Recognizing difficult situations don’t cause us to fail or be unhappy, but rather our negative thoughts and beliefs about the situations, Steve has been Adjusting Attitudes in organizations throughout the world such as AT&T, Prudential, State Farm, LaQuinta, and even the CIA (yes, he even had them laughing!) since 1994.
Find him on Twitter @steverizzophb, Facebook at Riz’s Biz Steve Rizzo, LinkedIn and Google+.