When Life Tangles Up, Just Tango On

I’ll admit it: I know how to tango. I started years ago. I never performed, or competed. I didn’t do it to pick up on women. I just did it for fun. The dance itself is unpredictable considering there is no set pattern, and I have to keep switching partners since I didn’t have a permanent partner. That’s what makes tango so interesting: the unpredictability.

The leader (the guy) in tango has an interesting role. Not only do I have to lead my partner, I also have to dance to the music, avoid bumping into anyone else, and keep moving in the line of dance (counterclockwise). Because of this responsibility, whenever a mistake is made on the floor, the leader has to be accountable for making the mistake (unless your partner isn’t following at all). Whenever I made a mistake, I would pause, but I wouldn’t stop. For one thing, stopping would interrupt the line of dance, and secondly it would embarrass my partner if I stopped, and suddenly broke the embrace in the middle of the dance floor. It’s best to just pause, adjust, and move on as if nothing happened.

In life, whenever we make a mistake, we should learn to pause, adjust, and just move on. Be accountable for what happened, but don’t beat yourself up over it. Don’t dwell on it. If you mess up a painting, paint over it. If you’re business plan isn’t going as planned, rewrite the plan. Don’t throw out your entire list of News Year’s resolutions just because you missed a day at the gym, go the next day. Take a breath, and keep the momentum moving forward. Whatever you do, don’t stop. Just keep dancing.