We all know that feeling when you have put in so much work, you perform your best on the day and yet you still don’t get placement in the comp. It can feel really awful at the time but if you’re smart about it, there are ways around feeling disappointed in yourself. Here are some tips on how to make the most out of a competition that didn’t go as you hoped it would.
1. Forgive Yourself
One of the worst things we tend to do when we don’t place in a comp is beat down on ourselves. Immediately those thoughts of ‘I’m not good enough’ come flooding in and we hurt ourselves with negative thoughts. This needs to stop as you’re only making things worse for yourself. The more negative you are towards yourself the further back you slide. As soon as you hear those bad thoughts coming your way I want you to try get rid of them by thinking one of these thoughts instead:
‘I am strong, beautiful and capable of anything I put my mind to.’
‘I am a winner in my own universe.’
‘I didn’t fail, I learnt more about how I can become greater.’
‘I did my best, I worked my hardest therefore I am a winner regardless.’
‘I am amazing and I don’t need a placement to determine that.’
Trust me, it feels so much better when you’re purposefully positive towards yourself!
2. Don’t Blame Others
Just because you didn’t place doesn’t mean you need to be resentful or negative towards other people. Maybe it was someone else’s time to shine and they deserved it and maybe your time to shine is at the next comp. If you remember to be grateful for the opportunity to dance and appreciate and respect the other dancers around you then you will walk away feeling much more positive and good about yourself.
A great way to deal with envy is to turn it in to respect. Instead of feeling angry or jealous that someone else placed, try understand why they got it and not you and appreciate what you can learn from them. Suddenly you will feel like a learner again and not a competitor which is a wonderful way to approach dance competitions. Plus you will have a positive and friendly vibe around you which will attract others towards you and prove that you are a great person!
3. Be a Learner
To emphasise what I mentioned before, going to competitions with a mindset of ‘what can I learn from today’ will change the way you handle comps altogether. Every opportunity to dance or to watch others dance is also an opportunity for you to learn and therefore become a greater dancer yourself. It’s the same as taking on other people’s corrections in class, you can always learn from others and apply what they are learning to your journey. If you saw someone on stage working way harder than you know you do then you may learn more about how much effort you personally have to put in to classes, rehearsals and your own practice.
Maybe you discovered that your fears are holding you back more than you realised because the person who placed was completely fearless on stage so now you need to work on being more fearless in dance. There are so many points you can learn from a dance comp so next time, take a journal with you and take notes for yourself, or reflect upon the day and set some new goals in your journal before you go to bed.
I know disappointment can be difficult to deal with, but truth be told, disappointment is part of life and we have to know how to deal with it in a way that you walk away feeling positive, determined and ready to try again. If you let the disappointment get to you, then you aren’t doing yourself any justice. It will feel so much better to be a supportive dancer towards yourself and those around you, so chin up and keep moving forward. You will get your chance to shine, all it takes is some determination, effort and positive thinking!
