Face Your Fears
There's nothing like going on stage, in front of hundreds of people, to make you face your fears. This was one of the best things that I ever had the privilege to do.
2. Practice Makes Perfect (ish)
The classic line "practice makes perfect," is only kinda right. "Consistency equals results" is more accurate. I was never perfect the first time I learned a new move or routine, but I did get better the more I worked on it. This applies to almost everything I have done to date with my business - like learning to blog, podcast, use social, send emails, get clients, deal with taxes, etc.
3. Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork
Dance is a team sport for the most part. When someone is struggling mentally or physically, you are there to support them. Because I grew up in such a collaborative space for 15 years, I really like working in teams, and creating with other people. Although entrepreneurship can feel like a solo, you can still find teammates. Finding a group of other business owners I can bounce ideas off of, and refer to, has meant everything to me. Solos are fun, but the group dances create the best memories.
4. Be Yourself
Not every audience member/potential client will love you, but be yourself, and you will attract the right people. There will always be judges, but you are also doing this for yourself. So, HAVE FUN!
5. Get Creative
I never really enjoyed the improv part of dance class. It felt awkward to create in front of other people. However, being forced to do this, gave me the confidence and space, to try new things. Remember: Other people are more worried about how they look, than how you look. Always TRY. That's the best you can do.
6. Take Constructive Criticism
This is hands-down one of the best things I could have learned early on. Being constantly critiqued, allows you to learn and grow without the defensiveness. Now, I seek out constructive criticism from my clients and business coaches. Writing this, makes me realize I should actually be doing it MORE!
7. Sacrifice/Compromise
"Sorry, I have dance," was my line for over a decade. My life was school and dance on repeat (with rugby added in during high school). In Grade 11 and 12, I went to Prom. I couldn't stay late or sleepover like the rest of my friends, because I had a dance competition, 3 hours away, the next morning. I had to rearrange the schedule so I could even go at all. Now, I work for myself, so I can technically do whatever I want whenever I want. BUT, I do make sacrifices - like not going to Mexico this month with 2 friends, so I can focus on wrapping up Q1 with a BANG! I am always interested in doing fun and spontaneous things; however, I did learn how to make sacrifices and compromises for what I love, early on.
8. Find A Way to Smile (when you fall on your face)
Oh yes, isn't it the best when you hit the ground HARD? I mean this both literally and figuratively. In dance, the most important thing is SMILE. While I do not believe in toxic positivity (pretending to be happy when you are not), I do believe in finding the lesson in every situation. The only way to grow is through mistakes and why not laugh about them?
9. One Step at A Time
To learn a new routine, I can't remember EVERYTHING the first time I see it. So, why should I expect how to know how to run a business without breaking it down step-by-step first?
10. There Will Always be Someone Better
Or at least, your definition of "better." Maybe they have more followers, more clients, more income, or some other metric you are using to judge this. However, I give you a dynamic gold, platinum or diamond award, for just showing up as yourself. There is only 1 you.
What did your sport or childhood teach you? Also shoutout to this RANDOM collection of pictures that are on my social. I will dig up the better ones for you in the future!