It’s easy to get bogged down with the day to day of the biz itself and forget yourself and your own dance growth. I have found that these 5 practice and personal growth tools have really helped keep me on track. Well, at least more on track than I was before I started using them. They have really helped me with my practice and personal growth so I hope you benefit from them as well.
1. Videotaping my practice sessions. I am not saying you have to do this every time and definitely not that you have to post them anywhere but it’s a good idea to see if that move you think you’ve mastered or looks really good on you, is like you think. Using a mirror is one thing but I have found that video is far more unbiased and really helps me see and figure things out.
2. A Journal. I have post-its and books everywhere. I write everything down. Notes from every session with my mentor, ideas that I have, all of it. I always have it to go to and also that way I don’t forget things. All of my thoughts may not be instantly actionable but I don’t want to forget any of my ideas that maybe useful or actionable in the future.
3. A vision board. I am planning on doing an entire post on this one. But this is another way to keep your vision clear. It allows you to create a visual, physical representation of what your goals and dreams are and can be a source of inspiration when life gets you down.
4. Step away from social media. I’m not saying to give it up entirely as it is a way to market our businesses and kind of an accepted evil but it’s very easy to get sucked in. You can spend hours surfing photos, articles and before you know it, hours have gone by. It is also very easy to start comparing yourself to others and start to feel depressed. So, step away. If it’s an hour, a day or even a week. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.
5. Listening to podcasts. it seems pretty simple but podcasts can be a very underutilized too. you can put them on your device and listen to them while you’re driving,working out. etc. even if you’re not actively taking notes while listening, you can always get ideas from it. And it doesn’t have to be dance related, it can be about business, marketing, meditation, you name it!
These are just 5 that I think are really important to have in your toolbox. Feel free to comment with your faves below!