Focus on the first person you see in the mirror

I've been following a short Retro Zumba exercise daily for a few weeks now, and based on how long I've been dancing to the same steps, I should've already memorized them.

Yet, it seemed I still hadn't. I'd still end up missing some steps, getting it wrong, or I'd get distracted somehow and not be able to follow along.

But today, my experience was totally different, and I had two major realizations - one is that constant repetition helps our brains go on autopilot when needed; and two, that constantly looking at others won't help us improve our own performance.

What was different today, and how did I come to these realizations?

Normally, when I exercise in the morning, I look at the screen of my phone as I follow the YouTube video. Today, because the phone needed to get charged and the outlet was near the mirror, instead of looking at the screen, I ended up looking at myself in the mirror while dancing.

And when I did, my body seemed to just move on its own like it had the steps memorized after all. I didn't even have to watch the dance leaders per song to know what steps were next; my body just listened to the music and followed along.

Now, this came as a shock to me because when I was looking at the video while dancing yesterday, it was like I didn't know the steps until they showed it and I followed.

But when I "danced" in front of the mirror today, instead of thinking to myself that I was not a good dancer like the ones in the video and feeling a little insecure, I was actually enjoying myself in the process. I think I probably even danced better than all the other days before and even sweated a little better too.

So what shifted?

I hadn't realized it, but because of how long I'd been dancing the same steps, my body made a habit of the dance routine, and it had actually memorized the steps. It only took the cue from the music, and it went on a sort of autopilot. Amazing, right?

And when I wasn't busy looking at how the dancers in the video could dance so well and wishing I was even a quarter as good as them, I found the joy of dancing for myself and reaped more benefits.

(I wasn't comparing my dancing to theirs because let's face it, there is no comparison between a pro dancer and a dancing bamboo twig!)

I was just seeing myself dance, noticing my own body's movements and improving on them as I continued to dance. If my hand looked crooked, then I straightened it on the next move. If a certain step looked better with my hand positioned differently, I would do that. It was easier because I wasn't comparing myself to how someone else looked while dancing; I was comparing myself to myself, and therefore I had the opportunity to make improvements.

When I think about it, it's probably the reason why dance studios are filled with mirrors - because it gives the dancers a view of how they look and what they can improve on. It makes sense, right? Because really, the only ones we can improve are ourselves, and the only way for us to see that is to look at ourselves closely, instead of looking at others.

So, what now?

Well, let's just say starting tomorrow, I'll be the new and improved version of myself, dancing in front of the mirror, smiling, and just having fun!

I’d still be a dancing bamboo twig, but you know what, I think I’m good with that. 😉😉