“Do or do not. There is no try.” -Yoda
What does it take to be an Olympian? Besides having amazing talent, solid technique, an unfailing belief in oneself, desire and drive, focused practice, willingness to sacrifices and have an honest commitment and loyalty to your dream and a burning desire to be the best you can be in that moment, the first thing you need to do is to prove to yourself that you belong where you intend to go! Until you can do that, there is little sense in spinning your wheels. Now is the time to put all your resources of time, energy and money, plus conscious focus on achieving your career goals. This must be your life right now or a career won’t happen. Is it for you?
You have to know and then practice over and over again, how to set and reach small goals that then lead to the big goal you have put forth at telling the story when you perform. And of course learning how to deal with nerves. All performers and athletes’ experience nerves before an event. So, let me say, it’s important to know that nerves are not always a bad thing. It just shows what you are doing means something important to you. And know nervous energy can be a creative process as well. It’s always good before the event, to talk thorough your nerves and then alter the thinking process. You do this by focusing on your performance outcome. How do you want to present yourself and what are the steps you want to remember and use to make sure you perform the way you practice and practice the way you perform.
This isn’t a dream like state, it’s changing your mind to thinking like an Olympian. Learn to create a path from what you consider the beginning point of this event to how you imagine walking and working through it until you are done. And then let the chatter in your head go and focus on what you want to accomplish. It’s always up to you to let the mistakes go so you can comeback to what you are doing and why it’s important. You can’t allow your thinking brain to take over with self talk that is going to distract you from accomplishing the story your telling of what the composer and librettist wrote with you adding and owning the personal touches and feelings only you can bring to this story. This is how you show others what an Olympian you are.
Until next time. Ciao, Carol
