Take It to the Next Level

Since the second month of the year has begun, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on the New Year's resolutions that were made on that very first day of January. That was just over a month ago, but it feels even further away in the past because you have most likely gotten back into your normal routine by now. After all, major, lasting change takes a very long time to achieve. That's why vague, large-scale resolutions never work. A lot of people say, "I want to be happier this year" or for dancers, "I want better technique". Those are respectful goals, but there's no plan of action. Now, don't let this discourage you. If you want to succeed, you must take your goals step by step. And I mean small steps. Sounds easy enough, right?

If you've already broken your resolutions down into concrete steps, at this point you're probably struggling with how to follow through and keep it consistent. I've been using a resource on a blog called, The Happiness Project (originally a best-selling book) called, The Happiness Project Toolbox. In the book, author Gretchen Rubin made a resolution for each month of the year. Then, she made smaller steps within that resolution to focus on everyday. The online toolbox is very helpful because you can post your specific resolution for each month, and the individual steps are shown in chart form similar to a weekly calendar. The chart lists every single day of the month, and each day you can check off whether you completed that step and write notes about your progress!

You can either do this online or on your own in a journal, but I believe that writing down your steps and tracking your progress is essential to making lasting change. Even though I have this great online resource, I found myself losing determination throughout the month of January. I continued to mark my progress on the toolbox, but I started to get less and less checks because I thought that being consistent with the website everyday was enough. But, you have to be serious about your goals and you have to find ways to renew your enthusiasm. Once I realized that I was slacking off, I became more determined and started getting checks for every single step. When I look back on those days where I completed every step, they were the best days of that week and that's when I was the happiest.

Here is an example of what a resolution chart looks like:

Another wonderful tool is something called SMART goals. It stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. We got a SMART goals worksheet in the beginning of The Professional Semester and it helped me narrow down what I wanted to achieve in the field of dance. We had to make 3 short-term, 3 mid-term, and 1 long-term goal. Each goal has 3 action steps and a deadline, similar to The Happiness Project Toolbox. What's amazing is that I recently reviewed my short-term goals for my semester at BDC, and I achieved every one of them :)

Ways to renew your determination:

• Review your goals and steps everyday. There are no exceptions. You have to do it everyday to make it a habit. Post your goals somewhere where you will always see them and be reminded of what you're trying to accomplish.
• Make an inspiration board. This is a collage of pictures, quotes, and positive affirmations that relate to your goals and will give you a boost every time you look at them.
• Imagine what your life will be like once you achieve your goals. It's important not to spend too much time thinking about the future, otherwise you will not be present enough to take those crucial steps that bring you towards your goals. But, if every once in a while you visualize how these resolutions will benefit you and change your life in a positive way, you will want to do everything you can to start living the life of your dreams.
• Try doing all of your steps for one day and see what happens. You will be amazed at how good you feel. It's like a cycle; if you achieve your goals you feel good, then you continue to achieve them and continue to feel good.

It takes awareness, effort, and time to make any kind of change, but it will become easier the more you practice and it will definitely be worth it in the end.

New Year's Resolutions With a Twist

Last Saturday I started off some of my dance classes by giving my students a writing assignment. It sounds like I'm an English teacher wanna-be, but they only had to write 2 sentences and it was about dance. They made New Year's dance resolutions! The instructions were: pick something (in ballet) that you want to achieve or improve during the rest of this dance year, then write a step that you're going to take to achieve that goal. I want to share some of the resolutions anonymously to maybe spark some ideas for others :)

• Get both of my splits all the way down, make my leaps flat (Quite a few had to do with splits)
• Improve my pirouettes
• Have more foot and ankle flexibility for pointe
• Going along with foot flexibility: point my toes more (on flat)
• Get a triple pirouette
• Improve my general flexibility and technique
• Practice more outside of class

Some of the steps to achieve these goals:

• Practice splits everyday
• Stretch my feet at home
• Do foot and ankle strengthening exercises
• Stretch everyday

Some people argue that we don't need goals to live a happy and successful life. I understand that because in order to achieve inner peace, you have to be in the present moment. Making goals is all about the future, and the future does not exist. All that exists is right now.

On the other hand, with dance or any other sport specifically, it helps to do both. With each dance class I step into, I try to be fully present and focused on what I am doing. Putting all of your attention and energy towards your dancing results in dancing from the heart. This is something we all want to share with an audience. That is why we dance.

When it comes to technique, goals are essential to reaching the next level. There is always something new to be learned, so think about one thing that you want to learn and master, and figure out the first step towards doing that. Even if you have learned all of the steps ever invented, there is always something you can improve. No one is perfect, so goals for technique are always going to help you become stronger.

How do you keep a dance resolution and remember it every time you go into class? Just like any other New Year's resolution; think about it and practice it everyday. It may take some will power to get started, but it is actually easier to do something everyday rather than once in a while. When you practice everyday it becomes a habit, and good habits are always beneficial. Something to help keep you on track is constant reminders. Write your resolution down and place it where you will see it every day, or set up a daily reminder on your phone. Training your mind is like training your body, it takes hard work and consistency, but it will definitely pay off.