I don't know about you, but I've been watching the new season of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix, and it brought back a memory I hadn't thought about in years.

One of the women auditioning for DCC on the show had been a Showgirl at TCU, and it reminded me of my own freshman year at TCU.

I grew up dancing. I was at dance class almost every day after school, and then in high school I did drill team and POMS - so once I got to college, I heard about auditions for the Showgirls and decided to go.

I threw on a black leotard, some white pajama pants, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and headed to what I thought was the first practice where we'd learn the dance.

Well, I walked in and immediately realized I had misunderstood the assignment.

Everyone else looked really fancy - hair done, makeup on, outfits that had clearly been planned.

I took a spot in the back, pushed my insecurities aside, and learned the choreography. That part felt comfortable. 

Then they announced, "Take a water break. You have ten minutes, and then we'll start auditioning you in groups of three."

"Hold on," I thought. "We're auditioning today? In ten minutes? What?!"

My heart raced.

We all headed into the locker room, and I found out that many of these girls had been preparing specifically for this audition. They knew what to expect. They knew what the judges were looking for. That's why they looked so polished.

I also found out that some of the women connected with the Showgirls were already Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. "What am I doing here???" I thought to myself.  

I sat quietly on a bench, took a deep breath, and just tried to process what was happening.

There wasn't much I could do. I couldn't run home and change clothes, and honestly, I didn't own the kind of outfit everyone else was wearing anyway.

I hadn't brought any makeup with me either, though one really kind girl let me borrow some blush, so I popped that on my cheeks. I tried to make my ponytail look a little more pulled together, and that was about it.

I remember thinking this was a long shot. Then one thought came to me really clearly - "You love to dance."

I had put in years of ballet and jazz classes, hours at the barre, dance recitals, drill team practices, learning and teaching choreography, and performing. There wasn't anything I had put more time into at that point in my life. I had already done the hard part.

So I decided that instead of worrying about everything I didn't have, I was just going to show them how much I loved to dance.

My name was called, and I walked out onto the floor, smiled as big as I could, danced like I already belonged there, and had a lot of fun.

We went through all the groups, they had some girls dance again, and the judges talked while we sat waiting. Then they came over to us and read the names of the girls who had made the team.

Y'all...I made it.

As a freshman.

It felt completely nuts.

Watching the Netflix series reminded me of that day, but more than that, it reminded me that we've all had moments where we walk into a room and suddenly feel like everyone else knows something we don't.

Everyone else seems more polished, more prepared, more confident, more deserving.

But that doesn't mean you don't belong there.

You don't earn your place because you have the perfect outfit or because someone handed you the cheat sheet.

You earn it because of the hard work you've been doing long before anyone was watching. You've been learning, practicing, and growing so that when that opportunity knocks, you're ready.

Even if you're wearing a black leotard and white pajama pants.