Are you dancing to win or dancing not to lose?

When you're a kid and you start a new sport, there is nothing impossible. No dream is too big, no competition is too hard, no choreography that can't be learnt. You realize that with the young age on your side and youthful ignorance, the world is your oyster.

When you grow older, people start coming to you to tell you what's possible and what isn't. Or even that you shouldn't even bother trying something. Without even realizing it, your enthusiasm and confidence that you once had as a child are slowly drifting away.

With your friends and family telling you that your dreams are too large, you suddenly start to believe them...

Then, instead of having big goals and focusing on them, you get stuck in thinking about what others think you can do! No more dreams, fear of entering a competition in case you get last, playing it safe. Do these sound familiar? Whilst you're busy doubting your every step and being in comfort zone, others dancers move forward, improving steadily and leaving you behind.

What's the difference between dancing to win or dancing to lose?

Dancing to win:

planning the best solutions to excel at the next competition and keeping the mind open to try new things
focusing on big competitions without fear of losing
turning every obstacle into an exciting challenge to make you better
knowing where you want to be as a dancer, rather than thinking of where you are now

Dancing not to lose:

spending more time thinking about how other dancers progress
getting caught up in predicting the effects of losing competitions and feeling embarassed
believing that winning is not for them as they are not good enough, but rather focusing on not being last at the competition or looking silly
questioning every opportunity to progress and finding reasons why they are not good

Based on what I said above, do you find some of these characteristics in yourself?

Here are 5 tips for you on how to turn into a performer who dances to win!

Plan goals and objectives with your coach. When you set yourself things to achieve make sure you finish them! It's easy to stay focused at the beginning, but only the best dancers will always finish what they've started.
Focus on yourself and yourself only. Who is in the competition that doesn't matter! Who won before or who got better marks should have no effect on your dancing. Your preparation and dance training shouldn't be affected by what others do.
Be aggressive in your attitude. When you have great dance lessons or competition, keep the momentum going. Don't slow down or wait another week till next training session! Plan your lessons so the speed of your progress can continue.
Dream Big! Try to connect with the child you once were, with unmatched enthusiasm, optimism to move mountains and being fearless. Who said you shouldn't ? And who are they to tell you what you should or shouldn't do?
No more bringing yourself down. Stop the negative thinking that you're not good enough. This only drives inconsistency, lack of focus and no dancing. When you have positive mindset, you body relaxes and that's when you start to improve your dancing and performance.