Podcast Rough Draft

Imposter syndrome is common among dancers, where they feel they're not good enough or compare themselves to others. Triggers include perfectionism and negative self-talk. Overcoming imposter syndrome involves focusing on self-improvement, setting goals, celebrating achievements, embracing failure, and not comparing oneself to others. Remember to be happy, not take things too seriously, and have fun. Hi, I'm Juliette Lowery from Jonas Salk Middle School in Old Bridge, New Jersey. I'm here to talk about dance. Most dancers have this thing. It's called imposter syndrome. It's where you think you're not good enough at something, but you really are. Or you compare yourself to others a little bit too much. This often starts with a little voice in your head saying, she dances better than me, or I'm not good enough to be in this category. There are many triggers to imposter syndrome, but these are most common dancers. First is perfectionism. This is most common with me. It's where I think the tiniest mistake is the biggest deal. Once at a competition, I did a kick just one second before everyone else in my dance, and I thought it was the worst thing ever. Turns out, no one even noticed. Next is excessive negative self-talk. Say you're in class or on stage. Do you often talk bad about yourself or turn down compliments? If that happens, replace it with positive comments. I always remember this phrase, make it till you make it, meaning make positive comments until you're confident. Now let's talk about how to have the mindset to overcome imposter syndrome. First, think about self-improvement. Don't let other people's winnings get to your head. Think of how you improved, not how she did better than you. Think of yourself from last year or even just from yesterday. See how you improved. The place you got is just a number. Even if I got 100th place, I'd still be happy for myself because I know that I tried and put in the effort. Be happy for yourself. Talking about being happy. Another way to change your mindset is to set goals for yourself. Then, when you check off a goal, celebrate. Even if it's just for a minute, take a moment to celebrate and acknowledge your growth. Another way to change your mindset is to let go of perfectionism and celebrate your failures. Mistakes are the key to success. If you would never mess up, you would never even learn anything. Also, say you messed up on a dance. Don't worry about it. Shake it off and you'll probably just laugh about it in the future. Just like that one time I walked off stage the opposite way of everyone else in my dance at competition once. Don't be hard on yourself. Just remember that everyone is human and everybody makes mistakes, even if it seems like they don't. My favorite dance coach, Miss Alicia, she says that comparison is the thief of joy. If you're always looking at what you don't have, you'll never learn to see all that you do. I got all this information from dancemagazine.com and my favorite, Miss Alicia. Just remember to be happy, don't take things too seriously, and have fun. I'm Juliette Lowry, talking about dance from Jones Talk Middle School in Old Bridge, New Jersey.