Hi dancers, and welcome back to The Reel Deal! This week I have some journaling prompts to get you reflecting on your dance past, assessing your dance present, and looking ahead to your dance future!

Journaling has lots of benefits for athletes. It can help you identify patterns in both your training and your performance on stage. It boosts motivation and increases confidence. Another thing I often use my journal for is as a point of reference. I like looking back on old entries and seeing what things I have adjusted about my training, how I’ve improved as a dancer, and how many little changes can add up over time. 

Everyone has their own preference for how and where they like to journal. Some dancers, like myself, have a physical notebook where do all of my mindset training and journaling. Others use a digital journal or notes app or something like that. Whatever method you prefer, try to keep all of your dance journaling in the same place and date the entries so you can track progress over time. 

When you’re writing, I recommend using a technique called stream-of-consciousness journaling. This is a technique where you let your thoughts flow and simply write what you’re thinking as you’re thinking it. You don’t worry about the structure, grammar, or if you spelled everything right. You just write everything you’re thinking, however it comes out. Don’t try to limit yourself to only thinking about certain things. Just let your thoughts guide you. Maybe you’ll be writing about your heavy jig and suddenly you’re remembering your 7th birthday party. Just go with it! The great thing about stream-of-consciousness journaling is it really helps you open up and be honest with yourself. Even if some of the thoughts seem random or irrelevant as you’re thinking them, I bet when you read it over again you will make connections you didn’t notice before. It can be a good way to learn about yourself!

All of these prompts are ideas to get your mind going and your journaling started, but as I said above, if you drift to something else, just go with it! I’ve broken them down by what general time period that would address. 

Reflecting on the Past:

• • Write about the accomplishment you are the most proud of and why.

    • This is a fun one because sometimes the things we are most proud of aren’t necessarily our “biggest” accomplishments. Or maybe you’ll start writing about one thing, and then you change your mind. 

  • Write about what you consider your three biggest failures and what you learned from them.

    • This one can be a little uncomfortable: no one likes thinking about the things that didn’t go well. But these are often the best learning opportunities. I bet if you can think of something you’ve learned from a tough situation, you’ll also start to notice all the ways that lesson influences you now. 

  • Write about 5 times you were in a situation that made you nervous but it didn’t stop you.

    • Every dancer gets nervous. Whether it’s joining a new class, performing for a big crowd, or competing, it happens. Remembering all of the times you were nervous and pushed through is a great reminder of what you’re capable of!

Assessing the Present:

• • Write about 10 unique qualities that make you stand out from other dancers.

    • The hardest thing about this prompt is coming up with 10, but I challenge you not to stop at 7 or 8. Ask you teachers, parents, or friends if you need ideas, but don’t stop until 10! Celebrating your skills is a great confidence booster. These can be anything from having a great smile on stage to being the loudest in your hardshoes. 

  • Write about your role model and the characteristics you admire about them. 

    • If you have a dance role model, you can write about them, but you can write about any role models you have! If you can identify things you like about this person, you can try to replicate them in yourself. 

  • Write about the things you can control about your dancing right now and the things you can’t.

    • It’s good to remind ourselves of our controllables and uncontrollables so we can focus our time and energy on the areas we have an impact on!

Looking Ahead to the Future:

• • Write about what you would try if you knew there was no chance of failure. 

    • Would you jump higher if you knew you wouldn’t fall? Would you hit the floor harder if you knew you wouldn’t run out of energy? 

  • Write about how you want to feel 3 months/6 months/1 year from now.

    • Focus on how you feel, not what you’ve accomplished. There are lots of ways to feel happier at dance and more proud of ourselves than just winning competitions or mastering new dances. Maybe you feel lighter because you’ve learned to focus on your controllables. Or maybe you feel grateful for your dance friends. 

Try out one of these prompts next time you’re journaling! Remember that journaling is good for ALL dancers, not just dancers struggling with their mindset. Even if you’re in a really good spot, checking in on yourself and documenting your progress is a great way to keep the momentum going.