I showed up, looked in the window, stayed in my car, and drove home. That was the day that came very close to becoming the worst decision in the history of my existence.

The Job I Had to Leave

I had just walked out of a comically bad job. I was the only computer-literate employee in the shipping and receiving department in a large, cold warehouse. I sat at a desk that felt like I was the station chief at a Siberian prison, and my Christmas Bonus was a gift certificate to the honey baked ham store. (Really.) Looking back, this Arthur Murray interview would change everything… but I didn’t know that yet.

So I walked.

I had been really into Swing dancing, so I decided to pursue an ad I had seen over and over again in the newspaper. What I didn’t know was that this decision would change everything.

A Tale of Two Phone Numbers

Phone Number 1: The S####### Ballroom

This studio, which will remain nameless, had a regular ad in the newspaper. I saw it all the time and had every intention of calling them to inquire about their open position. Then I noticed something: a second dance studio. An ad that I hadn’t seen before.

Phone Number 2: Arthur Murray Dance Studio

Here’s the thing: I had been checking the classifieds every day once I started working at that frigid warehouse desk. This ad hadn’t been there once. Nevertheless, brushing this turn of events aside like an idiot, I decided to call the S####### Ballroom first.

S#######: “How can I help you?”
Me: “Hi yes, I saw your ad and I’m interested in your teacher training program and I have….”
S####### [interrupting]: “How tall are you?”
Me: “Huh? Um… I’m 6’4″ and I….”
S####### [interrupting]: “We aren’t hiring.” [hangs up]
Me [unaware]: “Well I would love to at least….. Hello?”

Dial tone.

My Arthur Murray Interview Call

So I called Arthur Murray. They asked if I could come in that same evening. I asked if my height would be an issue, and they seemed a little puzzled by the question. They assured me it would be fine and that there was a manager available to interview me.

This was the big break I was looking for. Fate was sending me a golden ticket, and all I had to do was walk through the door.

But you heard this part already. I showed up, sat in my car, and froze. The alarm buzzer of fate got hit with the sledgehammer of fear. I was left in my car and, before long, driving all the way back home.

The Moment of Reckoning

After locking myself in the bathroom, slapping myself on the face, I looked in the mirror for a long time and said, very dramatically, “You’re better than this!!!” Another slap. (I deserved it.)

Every argument I could muster played in my head:

• What if they don’t like me?
• What if I’m not good enough?
• What if dancing isn’t really my thing?
• What if I embarrass myself?

None of these questions had answers, but they all had one thing in common: fear. Pure, irrational, progress-stopping fear. Psychologists call this anticipatory anxiety, and it affects nearly everyone facing a major life change.

The Next Day: Superhuman Courage

Have you ever had one of those moments where you performed some superhuman-like task to save someone? Now I didn’t pick up a stalled car and carry it safely away from an oncoming train, but I did the Arthur Murray interview version of that. Research from Harvard Medical School shows that courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s taking action despite it. For more on this topic, check out The Arthur Murray Interview that Almost Never Was.

I’m not sure how it happened, but I woke up the next day, put on a dress shirt, slacks, and drove to the studio unannounced.

I showed up with no appointment, and it turns out it was before work hours, but I walked right in. The manager, Mark Tlumac, invited me into his office, made little mention of me standing him up the night before for my original interview, and within half an hour, I was invited to be part of the training program that would change my life.

A guy who, just a few years earlier, was making fun of his Dad for taking ballroom dance lessons was going to become a dance instructor.

What That Decision Led To

I often think about all of the wonderful things that have happened as a result of that one decision:

The Students I’ve Taught

• Hundreds of individuals who came in nervous and left confident
• Couples who danced at their weddings after thinking they couldn’t
• Seniors who found new joy and community
• Young professionals who discovered a stress-relieving passion

The People I’ve Learned From

• World-class coaches and consultants
• Fellow instructors who became lifelong friends
• Students who taught me as much as I taught them
• Mentors who shaped my career and character

The Life I Built

• Meeting my wife in this very industry
• Having children who grew up around dancing
• The opportunity to own and expand the Arthur Murray brand
• A career that has brought meaning and fulfillment every day

The Universal Connection

While your story may not seem like mine, if you’ve walked through the front door, we are connected. It took guts, fortitude, a leap of faith, whatever you want to call it… you did it.

If you walked in for the first time on the day you were scheduled to be there, heck, you’re better than me.

Just think now of the people, the enjoyment, and the opportunities dancing has brought you because of that one simple, but scary, step.

For Those Still in the Car

If you haven’t crossed that threshold yet… If you decided to drive home, yell a little, and reset… I’m here to tell you that however you do it, the fear of that first step will be temporary, but the positive effects of it will last a lifetime. You might even learn how to overcome your fear of dancing.

The fears you’re feeling right now are normal:

• Fear of looking foolish
• Fear of not being good enough
• Fear of commitment
• Fear of the unknown

What those fears are hiding:

• The possibility of genuine confidence
• The chance to learn something new
• The opportunity to meet wonderful people
• A future you can’t imagine yet

The Lesson for Every New Beginning

This story isn’t just about dancing. It’s about every opportunity we almost let slip away because fear told us to stay in the car.

Maybe your “car moment” is:

• The first lesson you keep postponing
• The competition you’re afraid to enter
• The new dance style you want to try
• The goal you’re hesitant to share with your instructor

Whatever it is, the same principle applies. The discomfort of the first step is temporary. The regret of never taking it can last forever.

Final Thought

Looking back, the two versions of my life couldn’t be more different:

Version A (Stayed in the Car):

• Probably bounced between unfulfilling jobs
• Never met my wife
• Never experienced the joy of teaching
• Spent decades wondering “what if?”

Version B (Walked Through the Door):

• Built a meaningful career
• Found love and family
• Helped thousands of people discover dance
• Live with gratitude instead of regret

The difference between these two lives was one decision, made in one moment, after one night of almost giving up.

Your first step begins here. It might feel scary. It might feel uncomfortable. But just like my story, it might also be the beginning of something you can’t yet imagine.

Ready to take your first step? Find an Arthur Murray studio near you and discover what’s waiting on the other side of that door.