First Step.

I had a hard time when I started dance out for the first time again.
I had a lot of things working against me, but I couldn't let that be my excuse.
It was a lot of mind over matter...

But what I had to realize was that everything my dance teacher was telling me was true.
I have to start where I am. Do my best, and don't give up.
Still, I had a hard time believing a lot of it. I had a lot of stuff telling me I wasn't gonna be able to make it. That I was failing, that I wasn't trying hard enough--all this stuff.

First Step: Believe you are a dancer.
A dancer isn't just someone who excels in every single bit of technique; or someone who is flawless.
A dancer is someone who simply does one thing: dances.
If you take a dance class, congratulations! You're a dancer! No matter if you have virtually no turn out, if 16 releves kill your calves, If you don't know what a sisone is yet, or if a day of practice makes you cry.

You're a dancer.
And if you remember that, if you accept yourself where you are, if you believe that with practice and dedication you will improve, then you will do just that.

Take the first step. Start where you are. And keep going. Don't give up, no matter how impossible it seems. No matter if your brain can't seem to register the seemingly simple step everyone else seems to master, or if you leave practice crying more times than not.
Keep trying.
You'll get there, I swear.
You are a dancer. Believe it, and watch yourself grow.