Behind the Scenes

“The real magic happens behind the scenes.” That’s the thought I had today.

My wife used to be a professional ballerina and over a 12-year period I watched her on and off stage and got to learn what it takes to put on a professional ballet performance. When I used to sit in the audience the dancers looked so poised and fluid on stage. On occasion I would go behind the scenes and there I’d see exhausted and sweaty dancers doing the best they could to catch their breath. But without fail, they would glide back onto the stage and perform with grace and beauty again and again and again. After the show they would glow that warm glow that accompanies a job well done. This always amazed me.

Behind the scenes of every great performance or success is a tireless pursuit to make it happen. The spotlight moment is but a brief instant compared to the work needed to get there. If the spotlight is all you aspire to have, you’ll never do the work needed to get there. Life is not that easy. That is what I learned from my beautiful ballerina wife. It’s also the lesson I share with you tonight.

Here's a behind the scenes video at the Washington Ballet. It features my friend Jonathan Jordan who plays Peter Pan. Jonathan is one of the most disciplined people I know that lives the lesson above.