The clock is ticking on my one-year dance challenge. Loudly!
As I switch over from Pumpkin Spice Latte’s to Peppermint Mochas – I’ve carved out some time to reflex on my journey.
Within the last month, my mindset has shifted from “completing a dance challenge” to “training”. When I say “training”, I bet you’re all picturing a runner training for a marathon or a boxer training for a fight or even an ice skater training for the Olympics. With the notion of training, comes the notion of it being in preparation for something substantial. When dancers train, it’s in preparation for future jobs they hope to book. So, the question is – what am I training for?
To give you some background – when I started this challenge, I committed to a minimum of two classes a week. Partly because of my financial situation and partly because of my work schedule that involved two-part time jobs. Now, I have a full time gig – which means classes “after hours “only, but I also have the ability to contribute more funds to my dance budget. By this Sunday at 4:30p, I will have taken 10 classes this week. 10. 10 is definitely training territory. So what changed? The easy answer – an opportunity landed in my lap that made me change my thought patterns.
In early October, I met with the co-coordinator of the Debbie Reynolds Scholarship program. To make a long story short – they offered me a spot in their scholarship program, but I couldn’t accept it for multiple reasons. Nonetheless, I still learned a lot from that missed opportunity. An opportunity that slipped through my fingers made me realize that I wasn’t doing all that I could to get better. She asked me how many classes I was in a week and I think my response was “on average 4-5 a week”. The Debbie Reynolds scholarship program requires their students to take 10 general classes a week, IN ADDITION to their training program classes. She pulled out her phone and pointed out all the classes I could take after work – which were basically the two classes they offered at night. Every weeknight. Two classes AFTER a full day of work in the office? – I thought. That’s madness! Well, call me a hypocrite. Last Monday I took THREE classes after a full day of work in the office.
I realized that I had so much more time in my day. I was stuck in this thought pattern that my day ended at 5pm when I clocked out. Once out of the office, I could go home and do mindless things to relax, till it’s time to go to bed and do it all over again. What was I giving up in order to go to class after work instead? Absolutely nothing. I did what most of us do – go home and watch TV and/or Netflix. Half the time I didn’t even watch anything new, I’d re-watch things I’d already seen. Yes, my dog missed me a little more, but I made up for it by going home during lunch to take her out and give her some extra cuddles. By making minor adjustments to my mindset, I reaped some major rewards.
I know what you’re thinking. Jen, you didn’t answer the question. What are you training for? The honest answer, I have absolutely no idea. I don’t 100% believe in my heart that I could be a professional dancer….yet. So at the moment, there is no audition or job that I’m hoping to book. Maybe it’s the perfectionist in me that is willing all of my energy into dance classes. I don’t know. All I can tell you is that my mindset has shifted to this being more than just a dance challenge to preparation for something substantial.
