Your Comfort Zone Voice Is Getting Creative

Let’s play a game called “Excuses I’ve Heard for Not Taking Dance Lessons.”

I’ve been in this industry long enough to have heard them all. The creative ones. The logical-sounding ones. The ones that seem completely reasonable until you examine them for more than five seconds.

Your comfort zone voice is a skilled negotiator. It will find any reason – any reason at all – to keep you from trying something new. And dancing, for whatever reason, seems to inspire its best work.

Here are the most common excuses people use to avoid dance lessons – and why each one falls apart under scrutiny.

Excuse #1: “I Don’t Have a Partner”

This is the excuse champion. The undisputed heavyweight. More people use this one than any other.

And it makes no sense.

Here’s the reality: Taking dance lessons without a partner is actually better in many ways.

You learn faster. When you take private lessons with an instructor, 100% of the attention is on you. No splitting time with a partner. No waiting while they learn their part. Just focused instruction on your development.

You get better exercise. Your instructor is a professional who can match any pace. They don’t get tired. They don’t need breaks. You can dance continuously for the entire lesson.

You develop real skill. Dancing with a professional from day one means you learn proper technique immediately. No bad habits forming because your partner doesn’t know what they’re doing either.

You become more valuable. When you do dance with others at social events, you’ll be the person who actually knows what they’re doing. That’s a good position to be in.

In fact, waiting for a partner before starting lessons is backwards. It’s like waiting to find someone who wants to go to the gym before getting in shape. Your development shouldn’t depend on someone else’s decision.

Excuse #2: “I Have Two Left Feet”

This excuse sounds like self-awareness, but it’s actually just learned helplessness.

Yes, some people are more naturally coordinated than others. Yes, some people pick up physical movements more quickly. But “two left feet” isn’t a medical condition. It’s not a permanent state. It’s simply a lack of training.

Think about the first time you tried to drive a car. Were you smooth and confident? Could you parallel park on your first attempt? Of course not. You were clumsy and awkward and probably made your driving instructor nervous.

But you learned. Because driving is a skill, and skills can be developed.

Dancing is no different.

Arthur Murray’s teaching methodology was specifically designed for people who believe they can’t dance. The whole system exists because of people with “two left feet.” You’re not the exception – you’re the target audience.

Excuse #3: “I Don’t Have Time”

Here’s an interesting pattern: People always have time for things they already enjoy and understand.

Nobody says “I don’t have time to eat dinner” or “I don’t have time to watch my favorite show.” But new activities – things that require effort and might be uncomfortable – suddenly face impossible calendar constraints.

The truth is that time is a priority question, not an availability question. We all have the same 168 hours per week. What varies is how we choose to spend them.

If you genuinely examined your week, you’d find time for one dance lesson. The real question is whether dancing is a priority for you. If it’s not, that’s fine – but call it what it is instead of pretending the calendar is the problem.

In fact, people who start dance lessons often find they create time for them by cutting things that mattered less. Netflix binges get shorter. Aimless phone scrolling decreases. Priorities shift when something more fulfilling enters the picture.

Excuse #4: “Where Am I Ever Going to Go Dancing?”

This excuse is fatalistic. It assumes your current life will continue exactly as it is forever, with no weddings, no parties, no social events, no dates, no anything that might involve music and movement.

That’s not how life works.

Think about the next year. How many weddings might you attend? How many holiday parties? How many work events? How many situations where dancing could be an option?

Now think about how you’ll feel at each of those events. Will you sit on the sidelines watching others have fun? Will you make excuses to stay at your table? Or will you be able to confidently join in?

Here’s the thing about social dancing: Once you know how to do it, you notice opportunities everywhere. You don’t see dance floors when you can’t dance. But once you can? They’re everywhere.

Learning to dance doesn’t just prepare you for existing opportunities – it creates new ones. You’ll say yes to things you would have avoided. You’ll seek out experiences you previously ignored. The world literally expands.

Excuse #5: “I Don’t Know How to Dance”

Wait. Let me get this straight.

You’re not going to take dance lessons… because you don’t know how to dance?

Read that again. Notice anything strange about it?

This is like saying “I’m not going to take swimming lessons because I can’t swim” or “I’m not going to the doctor because I’m sick.”

The whole point of dance lessons is to teach people who don’t know how to dance. That’s literally the entire purpose. If you already knew how to dance, you wouldn’t need lessons.

Spoiler alert: Everyone who dances well started by not knowing how to dance. There’s no other way to begin.

Excuse #6: “I’ll Embarrass Myself”

Embarrassment is your comfort zone voice’s favorite weapon. The fear of looking foolish keeps more people from more experiences than any other fear.

But here’s what actually happens in dance lessons: You’re taught by professionals who work with beginners every single day. You’re not performing on a stage. You’re not being judged by experts. You’re learning in a supportive environment designed specifically for people who are starting out.

Will you feel awkward at first? Maybe. Probably. Most people do.

Does that awkwardness last forever? Absolutely not.

The temporary discomfort of being a beginner is the price of admission to becoming someone who can dance. Every confident dancer paid that price. There’s no shortcut.

In fact, the embarrassment you’re imagining is almost always worse than reality. People in dance studios are focused on their own learning. Instructors are there to help you, not judge you. The audience you’re performing for exists only in your mind.

Excuse #7: “It’s Too Late to Start”

Too late based on what timeline?

There’s no age limit on learning to dance. We’ve taught students who started in their 70s and 80s. We’ve seen people discover a passion for dancing at every stage of life.

The idea that there’s a “right time” to learn something new – and that the window has closed – is just another comfort zone voice tactic. It sounds logical. It provides a reason to stay still. And it’s completely made up.

You’re going to be a year older next year regardless of whether you take dance lessons. Would you rather be a year older and able to dance, or a year older with the same excuses?

Excuse #8: “It’s Too Expensive”

Is it, though?

Have you actually looked into the cost? Or are you assuming based on what you imagine dance lessons might cost?

For many people, this excuse is based on zero research. They’ve never called a studio, never asked about pricing, never discovered that introductory lessons are often free.

And even when there is a cost – because yes, quality instruction isn’t free – it’s worth comparing that cost to other things you spend money on. Golf? Gym memberships? Dining out? Wine clubs? Hobbies cost money. Dancing is usually more affordable than people assume.

The Meta-Excuse: “My Situation Is Different”

As you read through this list, your brain probably tried to convince you that these rebuttals apply to other people but not to you. Your two left feet are worse. Your schedule is actually impossible. Your case is genuinely different.

It’s not.

Every person who has ever learned to dance faced these same excuses. Every person overcame them by taking action despite the resistance. The excuses are universal – and so is the ability to move past them.

The Real Question

The excuses you make reveal what’s actually happening: Your comfort zone voice is afraid.

Afraid of being a beginner. Afraid of trying something new. Afraid of discovering that you might actually enjoy this.

None of the excuses are really about time, money, partners, or coordination. They’re about the fear of change. The fear of leaving your comfort zone. The fear of growth.

And the only way through that fear is through it. Not around. Not over. Through.

Take the lesson. Feel the awkwardness. Push through the discomfort. And discover what’s on the other side.

Your comfort zone voice will have plenty more excuses ready. It always does. But now you know what they really are – and you can choose to act anyway.

The dance floor is waiting. The excuses are just noise.

What are you going to do?