Dancers can really struggle with results. I certainly know dancers who have told me they quit because they simply couldn’t mentally handle poor results. There are a couple of reasons that I have encountered that I think make us uncomfortable with our results.
1. You think results are objective, or at least they should be. In your mind you keep trying to make sense of it and make it concrete.
Your results are subjective. They just are. If for no other reason, they are Stop wanting them to be objective. Here are just some of the ways your results are subjective:
Who is in the round with you? How are you or them dancing that comp, that day, that round? Who is on the judging panel? Did the panel change? What are the preferences of those judges? When did they see you? Did they see you in a good moment or a mistake? Did they see you at all?
2. You try to find deeper meaning in the results. You tie your worth to the results. If it goes well, you are good. If it goes poorly, you are not good. So the results are going to determine how you feel about yourself. That means there is a lot on the line.
Your value and worthiness as a human being is not dependent on your achievements. Your worth is set. It is not conditional on anything. It just is. Your achievements are just how you get to grow and expand and challenge yourself. They aren’t what determines your value. Period. You don’t have to earn it.
When it comes to your results…here are some ways you can use them for your good instead of using them against yourself.
Look for patterns. What is generally happening now in your placements, and are you moving into slightly higher placements more of the time? Are you making more finals? Are you getting a few more better marks? Are your marks somewhat consistent across the judging panel? What data can you extract and put to good use?
How is your competing going? Is your partnering getting better? Are you feeling better, more in control, and having more fun? Are you able to tell which of your dances are stronger?
Use your marks constructively. Don’t beat yourself up with them. Don’t look for deeper meaning. Extract some data and get back to work. Elizabeth Gilbert said, “Measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes and failures.” Whether you succeed or fail, you will wake up the next day and go at it again. So focus on your craft and the results will take care of themselves.
