Keeping Up Goals

By Eric Dahlman

Ah, February. With the holidays long gone and the coldest parts of January past, this month becomes the month of disillusion. People are over the magic of winter after their eightieth time shoveling, and become realistic as they wait for spring to come. Even as Valentine's Day approaches, people try to see through the Hallmark-iness of the month. February for me always becomes a month to be serious, and actually get some work done. There is no need for those silly New Year's resolutions that you have already forgotten; this is the month to actually change your life using cold realism.
One of my biggest complaints about New Year's resolutions is that they are always too idealistic. People are still wrapped up in the excitement of the season, so they actually believe that they can transform their lives just by making a big change. However, how many people actually commit to their resolutions? Not many. After a week or two, most people have probably given up. The problem exists because most resolutions are based more on desires, than they are on actions.
Many dancers tend to start with a goal following this similar pattern: I am going to become a better dancer. That's it. And how helpful will that actually be? Not at all. Vague goals are really more like wishes. This type of goal is really just stating, "I wish I was a better dancer," and there is nothing actually wrong with that. Admitting it is the first step toward progress; so congratulations are in order in a small sense.

Luckily, most people know goal making needs to be more specific, and goals then become something like, "I'm going to practice independently for an hour four times a week," or, "I will focus an additional fifteen minutes every day to practicing Cuban motion." These goals are a step in the right direction. They state what you're going to do, and when you're going to do it. If you were to follow through exactly how you planned, you would see amazing improvements. However, if it were that easy, why do New Year's resolutions usually fail? On paper, it seems pretty easy to set aside a little time to practice. There is nothing that clearly prevents the goals from coming into fruition. These plans fail because we may start strong, but eventually life gets in the way, we lose motivation, and we inevitably say to ourselves, "I'll skip today's practice and make up for it later." We never really do make up for it though, and the goal is soon forgotten.

I don't believe people should be hard on themselves if they can't commit to these types of goals because, in many ways, it's human nature. It is incredibly hard to instantly change a lifestyle using a big action. Instead, people should try to build habits, rather than goals. For example, rather than saying to yourself that you'll practice rhythmic counting for a set period of time every day, make it a habit to count out the rhythm to a song you're listening to on your way to work or a class. For me, finding the count to styles like Cha-Cha, Swing, and even waltz were difficult for me. However, rather than saying, "I'll practice counting," I decided to make a playlist of songs in the respective dance categories. Naturally, I always listen to music between classes or when I'm out on a walk, so I listen to my playlist and absent-mindedly count to myself, "Triple swing, triple swing, back step…", as I go about my day. I hardly feel that I am doing work, but I am always consistent. Sure enough, my dance partners commented how much faster I could find the rhythm to a song after a week or two of this method.
Similar goals such as improving posture can be achieved through habit. Rather than planning to set a great deal of time to practice proper posture, make it a habit to check your posture throughout the day and stand up straight as you're waiting in line at a checkout. You can even commit to doing an exercise as long as you do it habitually. For posture, try realigning your back against the wall every time you stand up to get a drink of water while working on a project. Again, the focus is to not make it seem like a chore, but rather something that feels natural.

Making greater improvements in dance is something we all wish we could do faster. However, if you are like me, and still at a beginning level, you are probably better off leaving most of your education for practices you already have at the studio. Your goals should center around practicing what you already know, and one of the best ways to do that is through habit. As in the Tortoise and the Hare, slow and steady wins the race. You will improve if you continue a habit over a long period of time much more than you would if you follow short, inconsistent bursts of energy. So this February, even though you've long forgotten about your New Year's resolutions, make this month a time to create a new habit. If your practice increases your motivation rather than destroys it, you will meet your dancing goal. Keep it up, and you'll be amazed how far you'll go!