Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner," (Dirty Dancing, 1987)

Whose heart doesn’t melt when remembering Johnny’s famous words? 😍💃 I could go on and on about how dreamy Patrick Swayze was, and how his words to Baby transcended age and gender, making us all blush like teenagers. 😳💖 But let’s take a moment to step back and look at this quote through a different lens. 👀

If we’re honest, aren’t there times where we are all put in little boxes by others (or ourselves), just like “Baby”? 🤔💭 How often do we commit to staying stagnant, avoiding risks, and not allowing ourselves to grow? 🌱 Are we unintentionally putting ourselves in the corner? 🚪🙄

Putting ourselves in the corner metaphorically keeps us stuck in the status quo. Everything’s fine, but we’re left always wanting more. I hate the dreaded “What Ifs” that haunt my life. You know what I mean— “What if I would’ve tried the delicious looking cheesecake instead of this dry-ass chocolate cake?” 🍰😂 Just kidding... (sort of)!

But seriously, think about it: What if we started viewing the regret of the "What Ifs" as a motivator rather than something that holds us back? What if we used it as a push to move forward instead of adding another item to our "con list" of should or shouldn’t I? What if we saw it as a second chance? 🤯💡

"You’re a virgin who can’t drive!" (— Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling, 1995.) 🚗

Picking ourselves up after things didn’t go our way can be tough—especially in a world that often seems to magnify disappointments. Society has a way of making missed opportunities or risks that didn’t go as planned feel more profound than they really are, which can impact how we see ourselves. 🤔💭

How many times have you hidden parts of who you are or your interests from others because you were afraid of what they might say? "They’ll think I’m weird" 🤷‍♀️, or "What if they don’t like it, or worse, laugh about it?" 😳 Honestly, as I got closer to launching my first blog, I never realized how vulnerable it would feel to put my words out there for others to see. It. Is. Scary 😱 to take chances, to lay your heart out for others 💖.

Let’s be honest: Most of the things we care about are tied to our hearts ❤️. So, taking the chance that others might not support what we love is brave💥. You. Are. Brave 🙌🔥. And taking a risk with no guarantees is admirable—unless we’re talking about bungee jumping or anything with heights. That’s just unnecessary! 😂🙅‍♀️

Starting anew often means stepping into vulnerability—and let me tell you, it’s scary as hell 😱. But vulnerability is the gateway to growth 🌱. Without it, we stay stuck in the same old patterns 🌀.

"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never gonna keep me down." (Chumbawamba, 1997) 🎶

Resilience—such a dynamic word with so much power 💥 behind it. To summarize Chumbawamba’s epic words: Just keep going. 🚀 Remember who you are, what you want, and KEEP. GOING. 💥 Full stop. Nothing else to be added—just keep going. 🏃‍♀️💨

Maybe “keep going” means something different to everyone: maybe it’s tweaking a few things 🔧, restructuring the whole thing 🔄, or maybe it’s simply taking a breather to reevaluate 🧘‍♀️. Whatever resilience means to you, or however it works for you… just keep moving. 💪🌱

“We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” (Wayne’s World, 1992)

It’s inevitable, somewhere along the way in life, we’ve started to believe all of the wildly untrue things our brain has told us. And of course, we have—after all, decades of evidence 📜 to back up those beliefs, keeping us from giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt. We can sing “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey, 1981) at the top of our lungs 🎤, but have we really let those words sink in? 🤔

If you’re like me, and if you're still reading my blogs, there's a good chance you are, maintaining a positive regard for myself wasn’t a belief system I was taught. So, finding grace with myself was almost impossible. 😞 Instead, my brain defaulted to, “I don’t know why you thought you could do that, you failed.” 😔 Self-compassion felt like a foreign language 🗣️, and my mental movie 🎬 played the same scenes over and over, showing me where I went wrong and reinforcing my self-doubt.

How can we be gentle with ourselves when we’ve been conditioned to hold on to the bad? 🤷‍♀️ The phrase “Don’t be so hard on yourself” exists somewhere, but not in my lifetime. And even if it was, no one ever explained what to do with the emotional toll of being hard on yourself. 🥲 It’s not as simple as hearing those words and thinking, “Yeah, I’ll get it next time.”

Self-compassion is a practice—it doesn’t just happen because someone says, “don’t be hard on yourself.” 💭💖 Being attentive 👂 to the feelings behind negative thoughts, beliefs, and energy 💭 creates a moment to reflect and allows for tremendous growth 🌱.

You don’t need my permission, but I want to validate every emotion you feel. Your. Feelings. Are. Valid 💯. They are okay 👍 and an important place to reflect and make positive steps ➡️ towards accomplishing your goals. 🌟 It is never too late to start over. 🔄

“Good things come to those who wait” (Unknown)

Geoffrey Chaucer once said, “Patience is a virtue.” Well, that may be true, but it’s a virtue that skipped right over me! 😬 To say that patience isn’t my strong suit is an understatement. Whether it’s the ADHD in me or the simple fact that I don’t like to wait (nor handle it well) ⏳, patience has just never been my thing. At least, it hadn’t been. Over the years, life has forced me into a standoff with patience, and there were some moments when patience won! 🏆

Speaking of patience, as my cousin would say, “Bring this baby home!!” I know, I know, I’ve been rambling on for too long, but that’s kind of my point—slowing down 🐢 and taking in life around you, Mindfulness IS a real thing, not just therapist speak, and it is crucial to your growth.

But here’s the thing: patience gives us a chance to think 🤔. When we act impulsively, we often can’t see the bigger picture 🧩. I’m not saying wait forever ⏳ to make decisions or take chances—because let’s be real, something better might not always come along and we’re trying to make change here! 😅

What I am saying is: be deliberate with your choices 🧐. Don’t just act on impulse. I’m strict about my “sleep on it” philosophy 🛏️💭. I always give myself at least the night 🌙 to let things marinate. If I’m still feeling it the next day (sometimes bigger decisions need longer incubation periods! 🐣) I take that as a good sign that it matters to me.

What’s my point?

If we go back to our girl, Baby (Dirty Dancing, 1987), she took so many chances and embarrassed herself (we all remember her carrying a watermelon 🍉), but she kept going. She didn’t give up when things got hard (though I bet she wanted to), and she kept looking for new opportunities and adventures (even though we were probably yelling at the screen at some of them). 😳

She was resilient and patient. And in the end, she waited for Johnny because she knew vulnerability wasn’t a one-way street. He took his time ⏳, but finally came around.

And when her parents shoved her into that corner 🚪, she stood up and took a risk, parents be damned 💖. So, go ahead and take a chance—whether it’s in love, life, or just watching your favorite 80s rom-com. Be brave, be bold, and be like Baby: Go after what you want, even if it means dancing like no one’s watching. 💃💪 

"I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! 💬 How do you push past the fear of ‘What Ifs’ in your own life? Drop a comment below and share your story—whether it’s a time you took a risk, embraced vulnerability, or even just what’s holding you back. Let’s talk it out and support each other as we all take those next steps toward our new beginnings!" 🌱✨ And as always, don’t forget to sign up and subscribe for our email list 📨 so you don’t miss anything!