Commitment and Hardwork

No matter what it is, if we want to be good at something, it takes commitment and hard work.  If I want to be good at my job, I must make the commitment and then follow through by doing the work.  If I want to have a relationship with someone, I have to commit to them and put the work (yes, it’s work) in to make it happen. If I want to be a really good dancer, then I have to commit to that goal and put in the work.  This is true for anything……ANYTHING!!

When working to become a dancer, does talent help?  Yes, it can help, but all the talent in the world doesn’t take the place of hard work.  If you have talent, it may be easier for you to improve faster, but you still need to put in the work or the talent will never reach its full potential.  We have to commit a lot to be a good dancer – time, money, energy, etc.  I was lucky enough to start dancing when I was young, and yes, it’s a bit easier to learn when we are younger.  I am still learning though.  I still have to put all of the work in that anyone else does to continue to grow as a dancer.  A lot of you started to learn how to dance when you were older – this can present some challenges, but if you put in the work, you can keep improving.  I have seen all types of dancers of all ages over the years who have reached their goals.  I have also seen extremely talented dancers who have wasted that talent.  They thought they could do the minimum and still become great, but they needed to do much more.

As dancers, we need help to improve and learn.  That’s why we go to our instructors and coaches.  When we commit to working with a coach or instructor, we are saying that we will listen to what they say, we will do what they want us to do, and we will work hard to accomplish the goals that they help us set.  We need to be as consistent with our attendance as possible, be as attentive as possible, and we need to be working as hard as we can.  It is not just enough to be there and paying attention, but practice is also important.  The body needs repetition to change or create a habit. 

It doesn’t matter how talented you are or how long you have been dancing, we all need to know what we want and work hard to get there.  Use your instructors and coaches as the wonderful resources that they are, and make sure that you put all your effort into it!  Everyone will want to get to a different level of expertise.  There is nothing wrong with just wanting to be a good social dancer.  It’s actually quite a difficult thing to achieve.  Either way, when working toward your goal you must commit to want you want and follow it up with hard work!!!  Enjoy the process and keep it up!!!

Your Ego..........

I know that it has been a while since I posted anything…..unfortunately, the holidays and then life took over!!  Sometimes we let things get in the way of doing the things that we love.  Sometimes we can get in our own way!

There are many ways that we get in our own way.  There’s disorganization……there’s procrastination………there’s denial………..and there’s always ego!

This is the one that I want to talk about.  In the dance community there is plenty of ego, both good and bad!  Yes, there is such a thing as good ego – it’s called confidence.  Being confident does not get in your way; it is actually helpful; it can help you to perform at your best.  To win and to be the best, you have to know that you are good at what you do.  You have to know that you can get on the floor and kick some ass.

There is a fine line between good and bad in anything, but it seems to become even finer when it comes to ego.  So when does good ego become bad?  When confidence turns into arrogance!  Knowing you are good at dancing is one thing, telling everyone is another.  When you start broadcasting how good you are, and start talking about how bad the other people are, you have a problem.  People do not need to be told (by you) what a good dancer you are – all you have to do is show them.  If you want people to think that you are a great dancer, then get on the floor and show them.

We also cannot let our ego get in the way of our learning.  Just because I am a “professional” doesn’t mean I know everything, and it doesn’t mean that I should stop working and growing in my dancing.  I should still be making an effort to learn new things – there is always something to learn no matter what level you are!  The other thing to remember is that we all have weaknesses.  If you have good ego (confidence), you will accept your weaknesses, and will work with them and keep trying to turn them into a strength.  If you have bad ego (arrogance), you will deny them and keep claiming that you are the best! 

We all have a goal level that we want to reach.  For some it’s to just make it to Intermediate, for others they may want to be a professional.  It’s important to remember that it takes a lot of time and hard work to get where you want to go wherever it may be.  It’s important not to whine about where you think you DESERVE to be (arrogance), but to enjoy the journey to where you want to be.  Listen to those people that you trust and respect, and they will help you get there.  Remember, no one wants to know where you think you belong or what you can do; they just want to see what you can do!

There are many ways we can all get in our own way, but we can keep control of our ego.  Minimize the things in your way, and know you are good as well as show you are good!!