Sometimes as dance studio owners it can be scary to even try to dream about implementing anything new at our studio or in our own life, because we are already so busy and overwhelmed with the day to day of studio ownership. In my own journey as a studio owner there have been many times that I knew that to move the needle, I had to find extra time in my overwhelming schedule to learn new things, create new systems, even start additional businesses. Here are a few things that I have learned that continue to enable me to set new goals and move toward them.
One. Get it done. Sounds simple, but it’s so much more fun to do just about anything else. Well that’s what the little distraction devil on our shoulder wants to tell us anyway. The truth is it always feels better to accomplish whatever my goal is than to engage in whatever distraction is tempting me away from it. I just have to remind myself of that when it’s time to get the work done.
Two. Get it done early. I always get more done, move forward faster, and make more money if I get up early, exercise, and get some “move the needle” work done before the work day begins, rather than sleeping in. It’s the only time to add to the already busy day. It’s the time least likely to have distractions. It’s the time that I am most likely to be creative and clear. By putting the extra work on goals first thing in the morning, I am telling myself and the universe that what I am working on is a priority and I am building energy around it.
Three. Nothing gets done without a list. The quality and clarity of the list determines the success of the outcome and the efficiency with which I can get there. First write out the vision. Then list the steps that it will take to get there. Pick a date that you (realistically) would like to accomplish the goal. Finally, work backwards from your finish date to put the steps in a timeline.
Four. It has probably already been done. This is the big one. I think I’m still learning it. If there’s something new that I want to do, someone else has already done it and they’ve done better than I can currently. They have experience that I don’t.. YET. And that’s a good thing, because I can learn from what they did rather than go through the pain of trial and error and trying to invent the wheel myself. (I speak from experience, as I spent much of my life doing just that.) After I have leveraged what they know, I can have my time to gain experience starting where they left off. I can make my own improvements or modifications based on my own unique experiences, knowledge and needs.
Five. It always feels like it will never get done, until I look back and it is.
If it’s time for you to move the needle in your dance studio or any other area of your life, be brave. Be brave enough to say right out loud what you really want. It’s ok if the vision goes through changes on your journey toward it. Be willing to put your feet on the long path in front of you and dedicate some time and energy to take a few steps every time you can. Eventually, you will look back and see a long path behind you, and things that you dared to imagine all around you.