Growth Starts With Accountability

As the regional competition season comes to a close, you have an opportunity to take stock of the season you just had. There were highs, there were lows, but there were definitely things to improve upon. Before the summer gets away from us and we begin creating new dance memories at Nationals, camps, and intensives, let’s take a second to reflect on what we can do right now.

There is a thing called accountability, and I worry that it is slipping away in today’s world. Accountability means being responsible for what you do and accepting responsibility for your actions. The biggest word in that definition is YOU.

Taking responsibility when something goes wrong is not always easy. It is much simpler to point fingers or blame someone else. But the truth is, there are very few situations in life where you cannot take ownership of at least some part of the outcome. That is where growth begins. Ask yourself:

What can I improve?

What could I have done differently?

What can I do better next time?

Sure, you can look at your coach, teacher, or parent and point out shortcomings in your training. But instead, ask yourself what YOU are bringing to your training. As a teacher, I always want to invest my time and energy into the dancer who consistently shows up ready to work hard, no matter what. Can you honestly say you are always that person? If not, what is one thing you could change to become more of that dancer?

At some point this competition season, I am sure many of you blamed a performance or an outcome on someone or something else.

“The stage was slippery.”

“The judges obviously don’t like musical theatre solos.”

“I’m exhausted because I didn’t get the right chicken nugget and pink drink combo.”

But was that really the issue?

Maybe:

• You didn’t take time to test the marley and adjust to the floor.

• Someone else simply performed their solo better that day.

• You probably needed water and a vegetable instead of sugar all day at competition.

No matter the situation, accountability starts with looking at your role in it. You are at the center of your own life. The one constant in every situation is YOU.

I encourage you to physically write down three disappointing or unfortunate outcomes from your competition season. Then next to each one, write down at least three things you could have done differently that may have improved the outcome.

As the owner of a competition, accountability is my number one thing. The people who work with me know that. Mistakes happen. Shortcomings exist. Failure is inevitable. But recognizing your part in it, owning it, and committing to improve is what matters most.

Successful people are not the people who never fail. They are the people who fail, learn from it, adjust, and come back better.

The first step to improvement is accountability. Then the real work can begin. But if you are constantly blaming others and pointing fingers, nothing changes.

At the end of the day, the only person who can get that left split, triple pirouette, or aerial is YOU.

So, keep working hard. Keep showing up. Keep finding ways to improve, whether or not someone is standing in the room pushing you to do it.

Chris Suchan smiling in a white shirt