2 minutes on “Keep it Moving” by Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp is 81 years old and is still directing and choreographing dance. She talks alot about our “pledge” in this book — that thought, that feeling, that keeps us “moving”. It inspires us and gets us to take action. Twyla’s pledge is to “make a life in dance”.
Here are my takeaways from this book:
Have a pledge for your life. this is not a goal, but basically a north star that you are marching toward (but will never arrive)
On a pledge:
Determine what it is and take action
work to expand your opportunities, not limit them
Obstacles are part of the journey, they are not failure. They might cause us to reroute our pledge
Age is no excuse for inaction
Henry Moore (who had just turned 80): “the secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for your whole life. And the most important thing is — it must be something you cannot possibly do!”
As we get older, learn to fall. Relax into the fall. Knowing how to get up makes falling not such a bad thing.
While many of our physical tools diminish noticeably as we age — speed, flexibility and power — we don’t have to lose stamina. Stamina is a choice, not a birthright. We develop it over time by practicing simple steps — and repeating them.
With age we are able to get away with the outrageous, the unreasonable, the impossible. With so much experience to choose from, we can select unexpected combinations that provide a jolt of mischievous glee.
