While it may take years to master a skill, it certainly doesn't have to take that long to gain a thorough working knowledge of it in a way that can serve you. You can learn to dance - or do anything for that matter - quickly! You don't need to wait for someone to give you permission. You simply need to adjust old ways of thinking, implement productive behaviors, change bad habits that do not serve you and redefine yourself into the person you want to be. It's never too late to get started. The perfect time to change is right now.
I challenge you to change your approach to learning. With the learning techniques below, you can learn any new skill in a short amount of time. Keep in mind that you use these techniques to learn to dance, learn a new language, or even learn to play an instrument.
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 Step: Write down one or two sentences of what you want to get from learning this new skill. (i.e. I want to feel confident enough to dance with 20 different girls at the club in 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.
MENTAL REHEARSAL. Think through what you have learned so far. Visualize yourself executing the moves correctly. Use your idle time throughout the day (waiting in line, etc.) to mentally review the material. Keeping it fresh in your mind will help you retain the information longer and recall it more quickly.
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.
I challenge you to change your approach to learning. With the learning techniques below, you can learn any new skill in a short amount of time. Keep in mind that you use these techniques to learn to dance, learn a new language, or even learn to play an instrument.
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 Step: Write down one or two sentences of what you want to get from learning this new skill. (i.e. I want to feel confident enough to dance with 20 different girls at the club in 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.
MENTAL REHEARSAL. Think through what you have learned so far. Visualize yourself executing the moves correctly. Use your idle time throughout the day (waiting in line, etc.) to mentally review the material. Keeping it fresh in your mind will help you retain the information longer and recall it more quickly.
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:
Get more great videos and articles to learn to dance Salsa. If you're in the New York area, visit me at then visit Sheena Jean's site on how to choose the best Step Into Salsa.
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