Wall of Inspiration part 2

^ So there's 93 to go. It's what I do with them that counts. I have a spreadsheet mapping out the next 13 weeks of my life, with a dance task plotted in every day. I'm colour coding it - green for success, as in I got off my arse and did my practice or went to the gym that day. Red for failure - did not get up and go. I'm allowed a few reds. But keeping track on screen makes me see how many. I could have a red day today, but then I can't have another red all week. I could have a red day, but look how many pretty greens I've got. Why would I want to taint it with red?
PS - Jessie Leach, please win the Worlds in London. I want to applaud you.

^ Two marks. Nine marks. Nine marks. I'm too close to give up. So I'm not going to - it's happening.

^ "If you want to know where your heart lies, look to where your mind wanders". I love it so much.

^ But only twice.

 

 

^ But I have the experience. I'm going to be in the same room. I know exactly what to expect. I know how to fail it. I know why I failed it. I've learnt the lesson.




For part one - go here.

To be an example

I think the inspirational images posted in my last message definitely have a place, but I can't help but feel that something personal to each individual is far more motivating than a picture and text specifically designed to try and be inspirational. And recently I found my own personal motivation.

When I'm a TCRG, I'm not just going to be there to make up a few steps and shout a few corrections. I'm responsible for those dancers. It's not just instructing, it's a duty of care. I need to make sure their feet and ankles are strong enough to prevent injury and support them en pointe, I need to help them strengthen their cores safely to give them the lift and hold they need. I need to give them ways to prevent shin splints, I need to know how to spot when someone could be suffering from common disorders and injuries. I'm not just going to be teaching them to do a stag leap - they need to be doing everything safely. I want to train them more like ballet dancers, with each muscle considered and worked upon. Nothing neglected.

So I can't neglect myself. I can't very well insist that they do their calf raises and stretches twice a day if I allow myself to forget to do them. I can't insist on water and bananas in class over crisps and coke, if I'm eating a load of crap at my desk.

I need to inspire them. And the only way to do that is to do everything that they need to do.

So I need to pay more attention to my muscles and my physio exercises. I need to get myself (and keep myself) healthy. I can't be a hypocrite here - I have to motivate myself by remembering that I'll need to motivate them.

Wall of Inspiration

We've set up a wall of inspiration in the office, with pieces of work that inspire us along with the reasons why. I wasn't allowed to put anything dance-related on there unfortunately so I'll post them here instead. All images picked from tumblr, where I have recently become a lurker.

1)

When I got my results, I DID want to give up. Admittedly I'd misunderstood the results and thought I had to retake the entire exam, but in the first flush of disappointment I didn't want to go again. I didn't want to feel that disappointment twice. Then I realised if I didn't try again, I'd just feel that disappointment for the rest of my life. So I'm carrying on.

2)

I have come miles. When I started I'd never choreographed a single set dance, let alone 9. I'd never choreographed a hornpipe! I couldn't do half the moves I can do now. Needless to say, I didn't know a single ceili in full. I didn't know a single traditional set dance. Now I know 30 ceilis inside out, and I know 6.5 traditional set dances. I have come a long, long way.

3)

Well, I don't hate every minute of training. I actually don't hate that many minutes of dance training. I hate cross-training, every second of it let alone every minute, and I hate every second of nerves leading up to these exams. I was a wreck. But I still passed two of them, and got within a whisker of passing the others. Suffer now and live the rest of my life as a TCRG.

4)

I am terrible for this. Obviously the image itself is about running so it probably means weather conditions, but I do wait for things to be perfect before I put my mind to practising or cross-training. I need to have had a good, productive and unstressful day at work. I need to have eaten well. I need to have had enough sleep and drunk enough water. I need this, I need that. The right socks even. Instead I just need to get up and do it because I know how much better I feel when I have.

5)

And this one. This is huge. It pretty much is a miracle that I actually set out on this journey after years of thinking I could never do it, that I wouldn't be able to learn everything, that I could never improve my dancing, that I could never lilt or even remember a single tune, that I'd never remember that little blue book. And when I did finally decide to do it, I had no support whatsoever. No teacher, no mentor. I've picked those up along the way, once I'd already had the courage to start. So when I do get my four letters, it won't be a miracle that I passed. The miracle's already happened.