Some lifetime ago there was a young girl, who wanted to dance and showed potential to become a great dancer. There was only one problem, she doubted herself. This young girl went to all the best dance schools and learned from all the best dance instructors. She knew all the fundamentals and she was technically sound. What was the matter!?
While technically sound, she lacked the courage and confidence to truly dance. the young girl had no belief in her worth as a dancer and she was genuinely frightened to show the world who she really was. She was afraid. Alone in her room she was free as a bird and could communicate the deepest feelings of her soul and translate those feelings through expressions of movement. Once she stepped into the presence of others, she would clam up and become filled with doubt and hesitation.
She soon approaches the stage for her school performance. She finds herself feeling stuck and thinking worrisome thoughts in her head. This makes her begin to feel an overwhelming sense of fear. She begins to question her dance and performance abilities. Her confidence is on a cliff and hanging by a thread. She panics and then prays quietly as she stands there on stage, ready to dance, eyes closed. She takes a deep breath as the music begins to play.
The Beat Drops! She hears it, she feels it and she knows it. The feeling of belief. Suddenly without thought, the young girl forms into her body and begins to perform on stage. Beauty was the best word to describe this moment. Strength and courage was presented and never before seen by the audience. Everybody was stunned by her skills and dance abilities. She felt good and she knew deep down exactly what she was doing and everyone around her could feel it.
Dance is a nonverbal form of communication that allows a dancer to speak from the heart. It is impossible for any dancer to genuinely express feeling from the heart when their mind is distracted with thoughts of fear and doubt. Over-thinking will take you away from the moment and will handicap your overall experience.
3 Important Tools to help dancers overcome Self-Doubt and Face their Fears:
1) Courage
“When you are in doubt, be still, and wait; when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage. So long as mists envelope you, be still; be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists — as it surely will. Then act with courage”.
Pocono Chief White Eagle
“You gain strength and courage by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I’ve lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Courage can help you overcome Fear. Courage allows you to face your fears and to attack them endlessly. Courage can give you the opportunity to change your circumstances in life. Courage is a very important tool for you to have. You can use courage to develop yourself into a strong and able human being. If you feel scared to dance, cultivate the courage to dance anyways, no matter what! It will be the best thing you can do for yourself, no matter what!
2) Belief
“He is able who thinks he is able.” – Buddah
“Our belief system is based on our evaluation of something and frequently if we reevaluate a situation, our belief of that situation will change.” – Bob Proctor
Belief helps you to see something before it happens. Belief gives you the choice to perceive life differently. Belief is your light when times get dark. Belief helps you move forward when you cannot see what’s coming next. Belief helps you to have faith in life and to believe in yourself. Belief will get you to where you wish to be before you even get there. Believe you are worthy today and watch as your life will change. The time is now to start believing in yourself!
3) Confidence
“Confidence comes from being prepared.” – John Wooden
“There is a difference between conceit and confidence. A quarterback has to have confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done. I have always believed I could get the job done.” – Johnny Unitas
Confidence can give you great energy and strength to execute your abilities. Confidence can makes you feel good about doing things and getting the job done. We know that we can do it when we have confidence. Recognizing and improving your strengths and weaknesses will increase your confidence. Confidence will give you the courage to take action in life!
At School of Breaking we encourage everyone to believe in themselves and to begin developing confidence in their abilities through practice, hard work and perseverance. We must do our part to make sure that each child and student knows their strengths and believes they can accomplish whatever they seek to pursue in life. Statistics show:
7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with family and friends.
– Real Girls, Real Pressure: National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, Dove Self-Esteem Fund
Link to website source: http://www.heartofleadership.org/statistics/
It is time to destroy our self-doubt and use our minds to begin building a new image of ourselves. It is not so much what you do in life but how you do it. Confidence and belief in oneself will greatly determine your outcomes in life. Self-doubt will cripple us. Courage will strengthen us and make things easier to take action in life. Have the courage to develop the kind of person you want to be and to live the kind of life you want to live. You only get one chance!
“Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.” – Charlie Batch
In Conclusion, the more we practice the activities we want to improve upon, the better we will begin to feel about ourselves and the activities we are practicing. Take time out of your life to develop and discipline your skills to become fully confident in your abilities. Once confident you will be ready to move forward with great courage and strong belief in yourself. In time, you can overcome self-doubt. Do not give up and you will get better! As you reinforce belief in yourself, watch, as your Self-doubt blows away, like dust in the wind, and your new life begins!