How many times a day to you have an idea that seems to be great only to forget about it or put it on the back burner for another moment? I know it has happened to me and once or twice when I have realized that I missed the boat because I procrastinated instead of taking action, I have kicked myself for not paying attention. We lead busy lives and it is very easy to just tell yourself that you don't have time to do this or that. It is harder and takes more self discipline to make you take action but the end result is usually a good one.
Some people will spend years dreaming about what could be and sometimes we analyze our ideas over and over and we spend so much time doing this that we never get started. Deep down it is is usually simply fear that stops us moving forward. Fear of the unknown, fear of making a mistake and fear of failure and we give ourselves a million reasons why we shouldn't take that step.
Most good ideas start with the word "should". Think about how many times you say to yourself each day "I should …….." I should go to the gym or I should stop drinking coffee or any other amount of things we should do. Try making a note of how many times you say that word on any day; I know when I tested myself that word came out of my mouth a number of times. However, it really made me aware of the fact that I need to take action when I have a good idea.
At this time of year when many of us are reviewing what has worked and not worked in our studios in the past year it really is a good time to take action. I like to make lists of the things that really worked and then a list of what I felt didn't go so well. Then I am able to sit down and really take a look at what action I need to take to make the negative list go away. Perhaps it was a faculty member who I thought wasn't really doing the job that I needed them to do or things that didn't function so well at the front desk. It could be a cosmetic issue that needs to be handled, for instance painting all the walls or putting new flooring down. Whatever it is it will make you feel terrific once you take action.
Summer is a good time to do some ongoing training with your staff. I like to review all of our studio policies with my staff and meet with them to go over any new ideas that I have and also listen to any they may have. Once we have done that I like to make a definite plan of action as to when and where and how we are going to implement all the ideas. If you don't have any staff and you are a one man ship I would recommend that you try to find someone who is on the same wavelength as you are to help you with the day to day running of the studio. It is really difficult to move ahead if it is just you, so take action to make your life more productive.
If you are looking for a teacher or teachers and you feel that you have exhausted every option try to think outside of the box and find new avenues. Find ways to get the word out and make the offer an attractive one. If you need to get your studio painted perhaps one of your customers is a painter and you can offer them barter for their child's tuition. We had a problem with one of our bathrooms and found that one of our dancer's fathers was an excellent plumber, we had the job done and we were happy and the plumber's son was able to take extra classes.
Somehow it feels good when you take action and it doesn't always feel good when you don't because you always have that little feeling of regret in the back of your mind. Make a decision for yourself that when you have a good idea you will make a plan of action on that same day. Don't put it off for another day. Get in the habit of writing your ideas down and giving yourself a definite time line to start working on them. The great thing about taking action is that once you get in the habit of doing it you will suddenly find yourself coming up with more great ideas. Pay attention to your ideas and they will take you far!
