Tomorrow marks my second anniversary as a Jazzercise instructor.

Mind blown.

Seriously, two years has come and gone by so quickly. I’ve learned so much, have met so many wonderful people, and danced all across this country. I now know what it’s like to physically push myself, to be mentally drained, and get that glorious exercise high when you have just taught a super fun class.

I’ve also been exhausted. I’ve been in pain. I’ve been stressed about not keeping up, forgetting movement, getting sequences wrong, music playing incorrectly, out of order…. there are so many variables in a simple hour class. Sometimes I wonder if it’s all worth it.

But of course, the answer always comes back to YES!

Even today, my day started off in utter chaos. I wasn’t supposed to teach until 9:30am, but I get a phone call at 8:00am stating that our rental space was being taken over. My class was going to be canceled. I then rush out the door to attend class at 8:30am so that I can get my workout.

But at 9:20, customers start trickling through the door. No one read the posts that class was canceled, and just like that, I was teaching again. Unfortunately though, I didn’t have a set completely prepared and I’m sweaty from taking a class. I endured and taught, we all got a good sweat and even had some fun, but those lessons don’t get easier.

In these two years, I have grown more as a person than as an instructor. I’ve learned valuable lessons on kindness, forgiveness, patience with others and oneself. I value friendship, community, and human interaction at a higher level. I can handle constructive criticism and opinions a little more graciously (although I could probably work on that more! ha!). Through all the ups and down of my Jazzercise career–and boy, did I have many hills and valleys in that short amount of time–I always knew I was meant to be there. Every challenge, hardship, and struggle prepared me for where I am now.

I am so grateful to be part of my Jazzercise Tyrone team. To all my fellow instructors, you are the most encouraging and sympathetic bunch. I would not have pushed onward if it weren’t for you ladies! We are all unique in our styles, personalities and strengths, but in the end, we all have the same goal: to teach what we love and to do it as well as we can. For all of the staff there, you help run classes smoothly, greet our members, and ensure everything is taken care. I love having a team that I know I can depend on, and I can depend on each and every member of Tyrone. You are all extended family members to me (and that’s why I keep feeding you!).

Also, I’m so grateful for all the beautiful faces that I get to dance with on a daily basis. We have new faces mixed in with the faithful that have been there since the very beginning, but all of them are so special. I try to invest in them as much as they have invested in me. But these ladies aren’t just customers, clients or members… they are friends. I know when they go on vacation, when a new grand baby is born, marriages of their children. We share it all! That’s what friends do.

In the end, however, I couldn’t be a successful instructor or owner without my family. They have been so flexible with my schedule and my work ethic. My husband and my kids are my biggest cheerleaders (next to work wife and bestie), and they give me the best inspiration for the crazy stories I tell when I teach. Their desire for me to succeed feeds my joy.

So on Friday when I teach next, I’ll do a set as an homage to my audition. It’ll be hard, and I’ll probably be cringing on the inside as each song plays as I get flashbacks of how difficult the process was. But I’ll be smiling, sweating, and dancing too. Another year down, and hopefully many more to come.