Channeling your creativity into Hobbies will make you happier

[Applause]

dancing is an art

the floor is my canvas and i am the

brush

and whatever i create comes from the

heart

today

i have the privilege of talking to you

about my passion dancing

and how channeling your creativity into

hobbies will make you a happier person

consciousness expresses itself through

creation

this world that we live in is the dance

of the creator

dancers come and go in the twinkling of

an eye but the dance lives on

on many occasions when i’m dancing i

have felt touched by something sacred

in those moments i felt my spirit saw

and become one with everything that

exists

dance for some is a profession

but for most like me dance is a hobby

and for plenty it is something that can

be performed anywhere

all around the world hobbies provoke

different feelings of joy

the world health organization proves

that with a lack of physical exercise

and hobbies both boys and girls current

and future health will rapidly decline

dance is a spontaneous response related

to our needs to express and communicate

our emotions through movement and the

body

dance is the hidden language of the soul

and for everyone the experience is

different

for me around five years ago

my life changed forever

i was an eight-year-old boy trying out

numerous activities

some of which i liked

and others not as much

my mom encouraged me to try dancing at a

local dance school

being a shy and quiet kid the thought of

that was particularly daunting

and not something i thought i would ever

enjoy

i found it overwhelming and equally

nerve-wracking

but at the same time there was something

liberating about going along

listening to loud music and learning to

express myself through dance

i made new friends

my confidence grew my happiness thrived

my creativity emerged and in turn this

opened untold opportunities for me

i’m so thankful i didn’t give up and

persevered as i can’t imagine my life

without the freedom of dance

i went on to join two groups flawless

dance school and a crew called fortunity

who both reach the semi-finals in

britain’s got talent

my styles of dance are hip-hop and

street dance but there are all stars of

dance to choose from

i have been lucky enough

to dance at several events

such as a qpr football match as their

halftime entertainment the o2

dancers delight and move it which are

both prestigious dance events

my love commitment and passion has seen

me competing nationally with a crew

as a solo and as part of a duo

it even opened other doors for me such

as acting

performing

and even teaching at harawat center

lockdown was a challenging time for us

all

it impacted our lives in ways we never

thought possible

i couldn’t go to dance and like everyone

zoom became a normality

i found various online classes which i

would do

and was able to see other faces and

generally keep in touch with others

outside of my home

this proved to be my saving grace

here at john lyon we are incredibly

lucky with all the extracurricular

activities made available to us

however

from personal experience finding a hobby

outside of school is especially

important

no matter what the day has in store

my hobby is my outlet which helps me

cope

and don’t get me wrong i love to watch

tv

go out with all my friends

all the usual stuff

but dance provides me with the physical

and mental rewards that are needed

the benefits of hobbies are widely

recognized

the society of behavioral medicine

published an article in 2015

showing that hobbies provided consistent

with in-person benefits on a person’s

daily health and well-being

people who had hobbies were found to be

in a better mood have more interests be

less stressed and exhibited lower heart

rates

in 2019 the institute of psychology in

belgrade

reported a clear indication that the

more teenagers engaged in hobbies

the more positive wellbeing aspects were

expressed

another clear indication of the benefits

of hobbies

a study produced by researchers from the

world health organization

found that more than 80 percent of

school going adolescence globally did

not meet current recommendations of at

least one hour of physical activity per

day

including 85 percent of girls

and 78 of boys

i have given you a brief insight as to

what has been life-changing for me

when you try something new give it time

don’t give up

and be open-minded

you may be lucky enough to have found

your hobby

for some it may be football drama

music

or even art

the list is endless

for those who haven’t

keep trying different things

as a hobby will teach you discipline

time management and skills that like

school will help you be the best version

of yourself you can be

nobody has ever learnt and perfected

anything in a day

in a week or even in a month

every successor before us has failed

repeatedly until they finally reach what

they believe to be perfection

to dance is to be out of yourself

larger more beautiful

more powerful

this is power it is glory on earth

and it is yours for the taking thank you

very much