🧠3 Ways to Keep the Ego in Check
PRE-P.S. My bellydance and frame drum classes in Austin, Texas begin next week. ​Enroll now​ to join our brand new session!
How to avoid the trap of feeling good in a way that leads to feeling bad...
Have you ever noticed that sometimes a feeling of pride and a job-well-done can lead immediately into a despairing low of insecurity and self doubt?
I think it’s important for performers especially to:
acknowledge this rollercoaster experience and
understand how to avoid it.
That's why I'm sharing a personal story from my performance life AND
3 helpful ways to avoid this high-low trap…
A little context:
Last weekend I got to perform fusion bellydance with an extremely talented and beloved world music band that I have admired and wanted to work with since I moved to Austin 14 years ago. The venue was packed with Atash's die-hard community of adoring fans and the magic on stage was powerful! I trusted myself to improvise every movement and I felt totally in sync with the musicians as they played (check out a clip from the show below).
From my perspective (and from the overflowing response of the audience) I felt it was one of my strongest performances to date. I came home that night feeling like I used to feel after performing to packed theaters with Bellydance Superstars: high on adrenaline and proud of what I did.
🤬 Yet, as I slept that night I had a jealousy dream that woke me up in a rage.
How incongruous! I had gone to bed feeling so secure, proud, and good about myself.
đź‘ż How did this little envy demon enter my subconscious? I think my pride opened the door.
Feeling proud of oneself is a great thing! But when it is tinged, even a little, with the feeling of winning a competition or positively comparing yourself against another, that pride is a trick of the ego.
A "winner's" pride is simply one side of a coin. The other side being: the "loser's" despair. If there is a winner, there must be a loser. If the winner deserves to feel good, then the loser deserved to feel bad.
Without fully realizing it, I had drunk my own cool aid! And my subconscious let me know immediately. After pondering the meaning of my unpleasant dream my intuition stepped in to help me understand
3 ways to avoid this rollercoaster of up and down:
1. GRATITUDE
Feel thankful for the experience.
This looks like:
I am so thankful they asked me to participate in this event.
I am so grateful for all the loving compliments I received from the audience.
I am so thankful for my body's ability to do what I just did.
2. SHARED CREDIT
Remember all the people who helped make this experience possible.
This looks like:
The musicians and other performers shared their talents so beautifully.
The stage crew and marketing team worked so hard to make the logistics of this show happen.
My teachers and dear ones have poured so much knowledge, patience, and love into my growth so that I could get where I am now.
3. HUMILITY
Acknowledge that you are only partially responsible for the experience.
This looks like:
The energy I was able to project on stage was a reflection of the energy I was being given by the audience and other performers.
Every improvisational decision I made was not a result of the efforts of my intellect, but a result of my ability to surrender to the moment.
I was the vessel for a divine presence that wanted to be made visible through me.
What do you think? Can you relate? Email me or DM me and let me know!
And check out a video clip of last weekend’s show below:
Also...I'm SO EXCITED for my next session of classes in Austin, Texas! We are preparing for a performance at the end of the session and YOU ARE INVITED!
Bellydance & Frame Drum Classes in Austin, TX
🚨 We start next week, March 5th!
➡️ Register for classes before our session begins next Tuesday, in:
Spaces are limited so ​enroll now​.
If you don't live in Austin, you can still bellydance and frame drum with me inside ​The Cohesion Collective​ where my team and I are giving in-depth support to current and aspiring professional bellydancers every day!
Warmly,
April Rose 🌹
P.S.
đź’ Apply to work with me inside The Cohesion Collective and get your invite to my advanced private training where I go over my 3-part Cohesion framework for becoming a brilliant professional bellydancer! The application only takes 2 minutes, there is no obligation to join, and my free training for accepted applicants is full of tips and inspiration!
🚨 You'll want to apply ASAP to join in time for our upcoming performance opportunities!
Read what dancers are saying about The Cohesion Collective…
Jo was able to unlock new depths to her creativity and performance abilities:
“I’m really pleased with how [my performance] went and feel it’s a real milestone for me in developing my identity as a dancer. Indebted to your program for helping me gain the tools and knowledge to drum and to be creative.”
Become a Brilliant Bellydancer
Apply to join us inside The Cohesion Collective and get your free invite to watch my advanced private training on how to become a professional bellydancer using the 3-part Cohesion Framework: