It has only been a couple of weeks, but I am already blown away by Nick and Sharna…but not for the reasons some may think.
Yes…I have loved the dances thus far. Week one was awesome and exciting! And Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy made me smile…the tap dancer in me has a soft spot for that song that I danced to many years ago. And even though it wasn’t perfect…it was fun to watch!
But I have been focusing on something else as well: attitude.
Having a good performance and scoring well is cool and all, but it is cooler to see how people react when maybe things don’t go as they had planned.
Nick’s pants pop…he smiles and keeps on going.
Nick slips and he gets up as the dance must go on!
Sharna is Nick’s teacher, but also appears to be his cheerleader as well.
How nice it is to see a man who has been mega-famous seem so humble and genuinely care what the judges are telling him. He doesn’t get defensive…he takes it in and gets ready to take it on.
I watch the show with my eight year old daughter. After the jive performance I said to her something like this: “Learn from this. Do you see how even though things weren’t perfect, they kept on smiling and had good attitudes? That is all mommy asks of you. Do your best, have fun, and remember to keep positive. That is more important than winning.”
It is refreshing to see a celebrity be open about his insecurities. We all have them, so when somebody who is looked up to and “idolized” by so many can show that he has fears and isn’t perfect, it is special.
I love how Nick is disappointed in himself when he doesn’t meet his own expectations. Let me rephrase that: I love that Nick cares so much about his performance and doing a good job for himself, his partner, and his fans. You can see and almost feel his frustration, but it comes across as a positive and not a negative. It seems like it fuels his fire…it ignites something in him to keep fighting.
I saw a bit of this during the Nick and Knight show in NYC last October. He was very sick and not able to sing everything as he would like. I could see him shaking his head every now and then and looking upset at himself. And then he would just keep going and fighting and by the end of the night it was one of the more amazing performances I have witnessed…talent wise…but more importantly spirit wise.
Nick has nothing to prove to anybody. He is in the biggest boy band of all time. He is a solo artist. He has battled addiction. He has written a book. He just made a movie. He has millions of devoted fans.
But Nick seems to want to keep proving things to himself…to keep learning…to keep growing. I admire that deeply and hope to do the same.
Some people know how Nick touched my life and helped me in the past. To summarize briefly, I am a newer fan that was inspired by his life story and it helped me get through some tough times. It helped lead to my “PlanksGiving” fundraising and I was lucky enough to be able to thank him in person before.
I am always looking for ways to “pay it forward” or express my gratitude. I decided to add up all of #TeamSharNick’s scores this season and donate that amount of money to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) in Nick’s honor. So I hope they do great…but not TOO great! Ha, ha…kidding…bring on the 10’s!
I continued to admire Nick for his talent…but more for the person he seems to be and the heart that lives inside him.
Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess are Dancing with the Stars…and into our hearts!