8 Lessons We Can Learn From Misty Copeland

The 32-year-old dancer has collected lots of wisdom.

Like a Boss - On June 30, 2015, Misty Copeland became the first Black ballerina to serve as a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater. The 32-year-old dancer has collected lots of wisdom in her nearly two decades on the stage. Here are just some of the lessons you can learn from this strong pioneer. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel (Photo: Joe Stevens)

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Like a Boss - On June 30, 2015, Misty Copeland became the first Black ballerina to serve as a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater. The 32-year-old dancer has collected lots of wisdom in her nearly two decades on the stage. Here are just some of the lessons you can learn from this strong pioneer. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel (Photo: Joe Stevens)

Your Past Can Propel You - In her bestselling book, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, Misty shares stories from her unstable childhood. Rather than use a life spent moving from motel to motel with her family as an excuse, she used it as a reason to work extra hard at school and propel herself beyond her rough start.  (Photo: Touchstone)

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Your Past Can Propel You - In her bestselling book, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, Misty shares stories from her unstable childhood. Rather than use a life spent moving from motel to motel with her family as an excuse, she used it as a reason to work extra hard at school and propel herself beyond her rough start.  (Photo: Touchstone)

It's Never Too Late to Get Started - Most ballerinas get their start as toddlers, but Misty didn’t officially dip a toe into the ballet world until she was a teen. But that didn’t stop her from being labeled a prodigy within her first year. “I didn’t take dance or gymnastics as a kid — my first ballet class was when I was 13 — but I taught myself how to do backflips in the yard and choreographed routines for every Mariah Carey song you can think of. No one ever said, ‘Do this, try this’ — it naturally flowed out of me,” she told O, The Oprah Magazine. Don’t let fear of a late start keep you from your own greatness.  (Photo: Robbie Jack/Corbis)

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It's Never Too Late to Get Started - Most ballerinas get their start as toddlers, but Misty didn’t officially dip a toe into the ballet world until she was a teen. But that didn’t stop her from being labeled a prodigy within her first year. “I didn’t take dance or gymnastics as a kid — my first ballet class was when I was 13 — but I taught myself how to do backflips in the yard and choreographed routines for every Mariah Carey song you can think of. No one ever said, ‘Do this, try this’ — it naturally flowed out of me,” she told O, The Oprah Magazine. Don’t let fear of a late start keep you from your own greatness.  (Photo: Robbie Jack/Corbis)

Go All In - Half-stepping has no place in your life. Do everything with all your effort, ability and passion and you will move ahead. As Misty puts it: “I just try to approach every opportunity on stage as if it’s my first time and my last time.”  (Photo: Shamukov Ruslan/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis)

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Go All In - Half-stepping has no place in your life. Do everything with all your effort, ability and passion and you will move ahead. As Misty puts it: “I just try to approach every opportunity on stage as if it’s my first time and my last time.”  (Photo: Shamukov Ruslan/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis)

Visualization Works - In her book, Misty wrote, “I traced the marley floor with my pointe shoes and imagined myself on the stage, not as a member of the corps, but as a principal dancer. It felt right. It felt like a promise: someday, somehow, it was going to happen for me.” And yesterday, it did. Take time each day to visualize your own idea of success and you’ll bring yourself closer to that reality.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

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Visualization Works - In her book, Misty wrote, “I traced the marley floor with my pointe shoes and imagined myself on the stage, not as a member of the corps, but as a principal dancer. It felt right. It felt like a promise: someday, somehow, it was going to happen for me.” And yesterday, it did. Take time each day to visualize your own idea of success and you’ll bring yourself closer to that reality.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

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Think of Something Bigger Than Yourself - Misty’s mantra is “This is for the little brown girls.” She pushes herself so that people who look like her know that success is possible. Strive to be a living example to the little brown girls in your life. (Photo: Jason Carter Rinaldi/Getty Images)

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Think of Something Bigger Than Yourself - Misty’s mantra is “This is for the little brown girls.” She pushes herself so that people who look like her know that success is possible. Strive to be a living example to the little brown girls in your life. (Photo: Jason Carter Rinaldi/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Jason Carter Rinaldi/Getty Images

Preparation Is Key - As a Virgo, Misty says she doesn’t make a move without preparing first. “My boyfriend makes fun of me because I can’t do anything without making a list first. It’s the same before I go on stage. When I’m creating a character, I want to know everything.” Approach your work that way to help you get ahead.  (Photo: Jason Carter Rinaldi/Getty Images)

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Preparation Is Key - As a Virgo, Misty says she doesn’t make a move without preparing first. “My boyfriend makes fun of me because I can’t do anything without making a list first. It’s the same before I go on stage. When I’m creating a character, I want to know everything.” Approach your work that way to help you get ahead.  (Photo: Jason Carter Rinaldi/Getty Images)

Detours Aren’t a Bad Thing - You may have a plan to get you from here to your destiny, but if it crumbles, just create another plan. “The path to your success is not as fixed and inflexible as you think,” Misty says.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

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Detours Aren’t a Bad Thing - You may have a plan to get you from here to your destiny, but if it crumbles, just create another plan. “The path to your success is not as fixed and inflexible as you think,” Misty says.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)