Episode 175: Staircase
Dr. Chelsea: Hi, I'm Dr. Chelsea. Welcome to Passion for Dance. I'm on a mission to create happier, more successful dancers through positive mental skills, and one thing that really separates good dancers from great dancers is their ability to believe in themselves. It's true for students, teachers, and professionals. When you're pursuing any dream at any stage of life, there is so much power in believing in yourself. But that's a lot easier to say than actually do. It's hard to translate that into real progress.
So today, I'm going to talk about having faith in yourself and believing in your abilities so that you can take that first step towards your goals. If you've ever wished you had a little more confidence to get started at something new, I'm going to tell you how to take that first step!
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Hi, I'm Dr. Chelsea, a former professional dancer and mental performance coach. I know what it feels like to be a passionate dance teacher who cares about your dancers, but you want to challenge them and help them be their best, and I also recognize that some traditions and teaching practices in the dance world are harmful. So I'm on a mission to change our dance industry by creating happier, more successful dancers using positive mental skills.
When you understand how to help your dancers with their confidence, how to find their own motivation, work together as a team and more, your dancers will unlock new levels of competitive success and happiness. And it's not just about them; you deserve the same. So we'll talk about how dance teachers can use positive mental skills to be more confident, resilient, and motivated as well.
Be sure to hit “subscribe” wherever you listen to podcasts. There are new episodes every Thursday, and each week you'll hear from me and my guests with advice and actionable tips for building mental toughness, covering topics about mindset, motivation, resilience, and building a community. Passion for Dance is a show designed to help dance educators like you have a positive impact on every dancer you teach.
[Motivational Music]
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Taking That First Step – 2:00
There are many times in my life when I've been scared to take the first step. I was nervous to audition for a professional ballet company. I wasn't sure where that would take me or if I was a good fit. I was nervous to coach for the first time. I was very young and had no idea what was happening. I was very nervous to teach by myself for the first time, both in the dance world and as a professor. There are so many times when I had a door open before me and the chance to take a big step forward in life, but I had to have a little faith before I could walk through that door.
What makes those big moments scary for me and so many people is that we don't know what the end result will be. We don't know if it will work out or blow up in our face. It would be easy to go to an audition or teach the first time if we know it's going to go well, but that's not life. We don't get to know the end result as we're making decisions and living our lives.
The first time I had to really step out of my comfort zone as a teenager and take a step towards my dreams, I hated not knowing if it would work out. I'm a planner by heart. I wanted to decide where I'm going, work my way backward, plan it out, and make it happen. I want the end result to be in my control, so I just plan steps backwards, and it will happen. But that only works when everything is in your control, and while there are a lot of things, it's usually not everything. Someone else has decision-making power or other people will react to your work to decide if it's acceptable or not, and we can't just backtrack our way to the end goal and know with 100% certainty that it will work out.
I learned pretty quickly that I needed to come up with a way to talk myself into trying something, even if I didn't know the end result, or I would get stuck in the same place forever. So when I found myself stuck and scared, I do what I usually do. I started reading and looking for inspiration, and I found what is now my favorite quote in this situation. It's from Dr. Martin Luther King, and he said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”
It's now one of my life mantras. It's my biggest piece of advice to my graduating college students and any athletes I'm working with. You don't have to know the end result to just do the next thing in front of you.
Believing In Yourself Then Taking Action – 4:10
Dr. King's idea is really in two parts. It's about believing in yourself and then taking that first step. I think that's why it appealed to me so much because it's not just blind faith, but it's about choosing to believe in yourself and then taking real action. You can believe in your abilities or your team's abilities despite any uncertainty around you. That's truly the root of confidence when you've done the work, you show up consistently, and you can believe in your ability to succeed.
Then once you remind yourself, “I've got this. Trust my training,” you can turn to action and take the first step. That's one of the biggest myths with confidence is people are waiting to feel confident. “I'll take the first step when I'm ready. I'll take it when I know it'll go well.” Well, that's usually not how it works. So instead, you do the work so you can trust your training, and then you have to just go for that first step. Confidence comes from action. Initiate one small thing.
In my case as a teenager, when I was nervous for that first ballet audition, I began to research the company I wanted to audition for and how the process worked so I felt more comfortable knowing what to expect. The first small step for that situation was just some information gathering. So it's about kick-starting your progress with that first step. Research the team you want to audition for. Go do a workout. Make a lesson plan. Just take some small step forward.
That's usually why I see athletes and students get stuck and feel so nervous because their goal is so big, they are overwhelmed and don't know where to start. But that usually also means they're looking at the top of the staircase and trying to get a clear picture, but there is no clear picture. You might have a goal in mind, that's great, but if you don't know for sure what that top of the staircase will look like or how to get there, that's where we fall apart, so just take that first step.
There Is No Top of the Staircase – 6:07
Another important part that helped me in letting go of seeing the top of the staircase, if you're also a planner and you want to know where everything's going, is I decided there is no top of the staircase. I hope I'm always growing, so I'll never reach the top anyway, and that's a good thing. So don't let the unknown keep you from action. Believe in yourself and take the first step.
I want to share a story of a high school athlete I worked with who started dancing late, which in her case meant middle school. She really wanted to make a competitive high school team but didn't start dancing until middle school, just a few years before the high school auditions. She didn't know if she would make the team or be able to be a part of this really prestigious state championship-winning program, but she took the first step. It was simply go to class.
She just focused on going to class every opportunity and working hard that day. When she showed up at tryouts as a freshman, she was still behind her peers a bit, but her work ethic was so clear, the coach took her on the JV team anyway because there was no doubt she'd catch up, and she did. She went on to be a varsity team member and one of the strongest leaders that program had ever seen.
Now, she didn't sign up for the first dance class in seventh grade knowing she would become a force and a positive leader on her high school team. She took that first class with a goal in mind but focused on the daily small steps to make it happen. When she competed on JV for two years, her freshman and sophomore year, she never gave up on the big dream. She just kept working on the next step in front of her.
She was an inspiration to so many and a great reminder that you can always take the next step, put in the work, and there will be a new level unlocked even if you didn't know what that next step would look like or exactly what the top of the staircase was. Yes, she had a goal. She wanted to be on this competitive program, but exactly how or when, that is not always clear. So even if you don't know the top of the staircase, it's the next right step. Believe in yourself, do the work, and take some action.
Having faith and believing in yourself allows you to take that action, which is what builds that mental resilience. It allows for more practice because you won't give up as quickly. Having faith helps you be comfortable being uncomfortable so that you can keep pushing. But I know sometimes we just don't feel it, and it's hard to talk yourself into having faith. So if you ever struggle with it, here's a tip.
Change Your Perspective – 8:34
Sometimes you need a little change in perspective. Zoom in or out on the situation. Take a different view. Sometimes we need to zoom out, remember how far we have climbed, and look all the way back down at where you've been and how far you've come. Other times we need to zoom in and notice what you've achieved today and how you took a positive step towards your dreams. Maybe it didn't look pretty, maybe it didn't feel great, but you took an important step. Today's work is enough even if you don't yet know exactly where it's going to lead or if everything will work out. Take a shift in perspective if you need a boost in motivation.
Mental toughness is a belief in yourself and the ability to initiate action. As Dr. King said, you don't have to know the end result. Just believe in yourself. Take one concrete action forward. That's how you build enduring resilience in your life. So cheers to today's next right step!
I'd love to hear from you about your goals or what next step you're going to take today. Connect with me on Instagram. It's @dr.chelsea.pierotti or send a simple voice message to the show. I love being able to hear people and see what you're thinking about and what this means to you. It's at www.chelseapieirotti.com/message. You'll see it in the show notes. Click there. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
And more importantly, share this episode with a dancer or dance teacher in your life who might need a dose of inspiration this time of year. I know the fall is challenging for some. Maybe they didn't make the team or the specific routine they were hoping for, or their friends moved up in classes when they didn't, and they are feeling a little discouraged. We can all lift each other up and encourage that first little, scary step, so no one gets stuck and gives up on their dreams.
So have a little faith and take the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Thanks for listening and keep sharing your passion for dance with the world!
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Thank you for listening to Passion for Dance! You can find all episode resources at www.chelseapierotti.com/podcast, and be sure to follow me on Instagram for more high-performance tips at @dr.chelsea.pierotti. This podcast is for passionate dance teachers and coaches who are ready to change the dance industry by creating happier, more successful dancers. I'm Dr. Chelsea and keep sharing your passion for dance with the world.
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