As you may know, I'm involved in a local drama group here in Tralee, and when the sun set this weekend, it marked the last 7 days before we take this years show onstage in Siamsa Tire theatre.
This is my second year with the group, and while it's great craic, it's a hell of a lot of work. For 6 months, you're committing to rehearsals for anywhere from about 3 hours per week at the start, up 15 hours or more in the weeks leading into opening night. Did I mention this is an amateur drama group? So this time is on top of and around your work and family time. It's a big commitment, and there's no financial reward. Just the camaraderie and the amazing sense of achievement you get when you've put on an entertaining show to a theatre that's sold out and has people on a waiting list!
When I joined the group initially, my singing and dancing skills left quite a bit to be desired, but I figured my circus skills could be used somewhere along the way. My girlfriend had been involved for a few years and thought I would enjoy it, so I said I'd give it a shot.
Now, when I said my singing and dancing were feeble, I was probably overestimating my capabilities! I couldn't have carried a tune even I it had a wheelbarrow, and when it came to putting our best foot forward, it felt like I had two left feet, neither of which were connected to my brain in any way whatsoever!!
But, with patience, persistence and practicing with a view to improvement rather than perfection, progress was made. Of course, it gets frustrating at times, especially when you know what you did wrong the moment it's done, but you're trying to break a habit that you've developed over time, so it takes time to break it down again. All you can do is make a mental nite of what you need to do to get it right, and pick a cue that will remind you about it next time around (who ever said sports performance psychology disaster recovery strategies didn't have practical applications in everyday life?!). The thing is though, everyone around you makes mistakes too, so you've got your very own all singing all dancing support group. Looking back at rehearsals, some of the most enjoyable moments at the times we make mistakes. We have a laugh about it then refocus and correct what went wrong.
Of course, this is a health & fitness blog, so I suppose I'd better make a point sometime today...
If you are willing to commit to a goal, give it time & patience, focus on making small improvements all the time and learn to enjoy the process, you can really amaze yourself with what you can do. Of course you'll misstep and hit a bum note every now and then, you're only human after all! Guess what? Everyone around you makes mistakes too, but you're all in the same situation so you help each other out!
Remember, a goal is a dream with a deadline, if there's no deadline, you can just keep on dreaming!
If you have a dream you'd like to turn into goal, and you're ready to focus on it and give it time, get in touch and let's see how I can help you make that happen.
Info@malkelly.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Agree or disagree? All opinions are welcome. Thanks for contributing, lets keep it respectful...