Acheiving the (Semi) Impossible

First, read this: http://irishdanceteacher.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/achieving-the-semi-impossible/

My sis filled this out about this time last year so I figure this would be a good way to organize my thoughts about my goals.

1. Write down what you want. The best cross I'm physically able to give.  Strong, easy carriage.  Stamina for days.  Better lift.  To be a real competitor--the kind of dancer that comes on stage and impresses people.  Competing in solos at the 2014 Oireachtas.
 
2. Technical progress: Learning new and more difficult material.  Being consistent with my cross/turnout in class.  Keep dancing even though I feel like my legs are going to give out--it's the only way I'm going to improve my stamina.  Trying out new moves that I normally eschew in class (bicycles, birdies, etc)

Mental improvement: Knowing my steps cold so that I can perform them for the judges and have fun with them.  Confidence that I'm giving my best every time I step on stage.  Smiles on stage.

Outward Manifestation of Achievement: Those coveted firsts in prizewinner that will propel me to prelims.  Outright winning the traditional set competition at the Oireachtas this year.  Moving up to the champs class, starting prelim in 2014.

3. From there, hone or consolidate your list (ie what can you work on right now?) Giving my all in class every time.  Being aware of cross every time I dance.  Improving stamina

4/5 Plan how you're going to get there. 
NO STOPPING in ceili or class.
Cross every moment of every dance until it just becomes second nature.
Occasional private lessons with Anna
Stretching and strengthening with therabands and body weight at home
Doing boot camp to improve general fitness
Eating foods that will nourish my body instead of fight with it

7. Make some sort of chart or log.  (This journal, plus I'm printing out a calendar and I'm going to get little checklist stickers for each at-home stretching and boot camp session I do.)

8. TELL YOURSELF YOU CAN DO THIS.  Practice saying "I can do this" to myself before every time I might find difficult.

making the most of my time

I've reminded myself that I need to stop messing around in class.  It's hard when I've just done two hours of ceili to do much of anything in my solo class, but the only way my stamina is going to improve is if I get off my butt and dance.  Teach is starting to have us do three steps to help bolster our stamina, and I died exactly two and a quarter steps into my treble jig.

Three feises left in 2013 and then it's the big dance, the oireachtas.  My goal for 2014 is to move into the champ class and get those two elusive firsts that will propel me to preliminary championships.  But it starts here and now, with boring drills, with dancing that ceili all-out every time, doing that hornpipe one more time even though my body is screaming to just lay down in the middle of the floor in the studio.

Stamina helps:
- dancing all-out, every time, multiple times, in class
- eating foods that give my body a boost of energy before class
- doing my Maniac DVDs 3 times a week

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME.