Learn to dance - or do anything for that matter - fast! By adjusting old ways of thinking, implementing productive behaviors, changing bad habits that do not serve you and redefining yourself into the person you want to be, you can learn to dance quickly.
Using the techniques below, I challenge you to approach learning learning from a new perspective. Believe that you can learn quickly and easily and you will see the evidence of that manifest before your very eyes. Whether you want to learn to dance, learn to play the piano or speak a new language, you can do it without spending years.
CLARITY equals success. Be clear about what you want to get from this endeavor. At least have an idea of what you want if you are not sure. Wandering aimlessly slows down the learning process. If you have at least an idea in mind of what you want from your efforts, you can focus your energy there and see results much more quickly. Once you have clarity, you can easily map the way to success.
Action Item: Scribble down one or two sentences on what you most want to learn from your efforts. (i.e. I want to lose 10 lbs. from dancing within the next 3 months).
The second element is what I like to call SPONGINESS. Become like a sponge. Soak up as much knowledge as you can from class. Use your focused energy to be completely present in the moment and take in as much information as you can. Ask for confirmation from the instructor that you are executing the moves correctly. Don't ask another student who is at the same skill level that you are. Let the instructor know that you want to learn as much as possible in the shortest amount of time and ask for feedback and suggestions. Being a sponge is really about being fully present and focused in the moment and taking in as much as you can from the experience.
Action Item: Before you being, whether it's in a classroom environment or not, take a few minutes to breathe deeply. This will relax your body and mind and help you to receive and retain information more fully.
ACTIVATION & MENTAL PROCESSING are the third elements. Once you have the information, it won't do you much good if you just forget about it. Now is the time to remember what you learned and think through it. Take notes immediately after class so you don't forget any of the information. Review your notes periodically to keep the ideas fresh in your mind. Mentally reactivate the information a few times during the day. Visualize yourself executing the moves correctly and hold that picture of yourself in your mind. Don't waste your idle time (standing in line, waiting for bus, etc.). You can use this time to mentally rehearse your new skills.
Action Item: On a piece of paper, quickly jot down a few after class or after you learn something new. The mind is quick to forget so force yourself to remember. Then on a daily basis, review your notes a few times and take just a few seconds to think through them. See how you can apply the material you learned to other things. For instance, you learned to resist your leader with pressure from your fingertips. Take this concept and see how it can apply to more moves and steps.
MAKE IT EASY TO SUCCEED is the final step. Often times, when we fail at something it's because we are making it hard to succeed. We are human beings who like to complicate things for some strange reason. This is backwards. If you aren't having fun doing something, what's the point of doing it? Whenever you embark upon a new skill, make it easy for yourself to learn by finding a way to make it fun. If you stress out about how you look when you're dancing or about doing a move wrong, then you are creating putting a lot of pressure and tension on yourself that will make you feel like a failure and stress you out. This does absolutely NOTHING to help your accelerated learning in any way, shape or form. The beauty is that you have control over your experience, so you can change it if you find that your thoughts do not serve you in learning at your highest potential.
Your Final Action Step: Look for ways to enjoy what you're learning. I like to impose random challenges upon myself, so I will tell a friend that I will demonstrate "x" number of moves to him or her by the end of the week. This challenges me to make sure I learn these new moves and practice them enough to comfortably show them to my friend. It makes learning fun and challenging for me. Explore ways that you can make learning more fun and exciting for you.
Using the techniques below, I challenge you to approach learning learning from a new perspective. Believe that you can learn quickly and easily and you will see the evidence of that manifest before your very eyes. Whether you want to learn to dance, learn to play the piano or speak a new language, you can do it without spending years.
CLARITY equals success. Be clear about what you want to get from this endeavor. At least have an idea of what you want if you are not sure. Wandering aimlessly slows down the learning process. If you have at least an idea in mind of what you want from your efforts, you can focus your energy there and see results much more quickly. Once you have clarity, you can easily map the way to success.
Action Item: Scribble down one or two sentences on what you most want to learn from your efforts. (i.e. I want to lose 10 lbs. from dancing within the next 3 months).
The second element is what I like to call SPONGINESS. Become like a sponge. Soak up as much knowledge as you can from class. Use your focused energy to be completely present in the moment and take in as much information as you can. Ask for confirmation from the instructor that you are executing the moves correctly. Don't ask another student who is at the same skill level that you are. Let the instructor know that you want to learn as much as possible in the shortest amount of time and ask for feedback and suggestions. Being a sponge is really about being fully present and focused in the moment and taking in as much as you can from the experience.
Action Item: Before you being, whether it's in a classroom environment or not, take a few minutes to breathe deeply. This will relax your body and mind and help you to receive and retain information more fully.
ACTIVATION & MENTAL PROCESSING are the third elements. Once you have the information, it won't do you much good if you just forget about it. Now is the time to remember what you learned and think through it. Take notes immediately after class so you don't forget any of the information. Review your notes periodically to keep the ideas fresh in your mind. Mentally reactivate the information a few times during the day. Visualize yourself executing the moves correctly and hold that picture of yourself in your mind. Don't waste your idle time (standing in line, waiting for bus, etc.). You can use this time to mentally rehearse your new skills.
Action Item: On a piece of paper, quickly jot down a few after class or after you learn something new. The mind is quick to forget so force yourself to remember. Then on a daily basis, review your notes a few times and take just a few seconds to think through them. See how you can apply the material you learned to other things. For instance, you learned to resist your leader with pressure from your fingertips. Take this concept and see how it can apply to more moves and steps.
MAKE IT EASY TO SUCCEED is the final step. Often times, when we fail at something it's because we are making it hard to succeed. We are human beings who like to complicate things for some strange reason. This is backwards. If you aren't having fun doing something, what's the point of doing it? Whenever you embark upon a new skill, make it easy for yourself to learn by finding a way to make it fun. If you stress out about how you look when you're dancing or about doing a move wrong, then you are creating putting a lot of pressure and tension on yourself that will make you feel like a failure and stress you out. This does absolutely NOTHING to help your accelerated learning in any way, shape or form. The beauty is that you have control over your experience, so you can change it if you find that your thoughts do not serve you in learning at your highest potential.
Your Final Action Step: Look for ways to enjoy what you're learning. I like to impose random challenges upon myself, so I will tell a friend that I will demonstrate "x" number of moves to him or her by the end of the week. This challenges me to make sure I learn these new moves and practice them enough to comfortably show them to my friend. It makes learning fun and challenging for me. Explore ways that you can make learning more fun and exciting for you.
About the Author:
Learn to dance Salsa with more great articles and instructional videos. To take Salsa classes, visit us at Step Into Salsa.
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