As competitive Pro/Am dancers, we pour our hearts and souls onto the dance floor. We strive for perfection, and naturally, our minds are wired to spot flaws. Many athletes, from beginners to seasoned professionals, can fall into the trap of dwelling on the negative: what might go wrong, the perceived superiority of an opponent, or our own moments of imperfection. It's an understandable human tendency, but when carried to excess, not only does it affect our improvement, it also steal the very joy from our dancing.

Now, this isn't to say that working on weaknesses is wrong or unhelpful. Quite the opposite! Appropriately addressed, identifying areas for growth is a vital part of improving your performance. But it shouldn't be your only approach. True champions—like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, or the legendary Ina Ivanova in Latin dancing - possess remarkable inner belief. They know they can navigate any challenge and achieve exceptional performance regardless of the circumstances. This level of conviction isn't rooted in a fear of failure; it's built on a clear, reasoned understanding of what works.

The crucial lesson here is to intentionally look for what works and build on it. For us dancers, this means not just drilling technique, but also recognizing and reinforcing the moments when we feel incredible, when a movement clicks, or when our partnership feels seamless. These successful moments are your personal blueprint for greatness, often overlooked in the rush to fix what's "broken."

This is where understanding submodalities becomes incredibly powerful. Submodalities are the unique ways you store information in your mind through your senses. Think about a recent competition or practice:

• Pictures: When you recall a memory, is the image in your mind clear or blurry? Bright or dim? Close or far away?

• Sounds: Are the sounds loud or soft? Close or distant? Do you hear the music clearly or is it muffled?

• Feelings: How do you physically feel when recalling the memory? Is it light or heavy? Warm or cold?

Often, when we dwell on a poor performance, the memory is bright, clear, and vivid in our minds. Conversely, a fantastic performance might be recalled as blurred, distant, or muted. This difference is incredibly revealing: it shows how your mind is prioritising and reinforcing what didn't work.

Rewire Your Winning Mindset

The good news? You have the power to change this. Your brain responds to how you frame your experiences. Here’s how to start rewiring your mindset to focus on success and fuel that 1% daily improvement:

1. Amplify Your Wins: Choose a memory of a particularly good performance or a moment when you nailed a challenging step. As you recall it, deliberately make the mental picture brighter, clearer, and closer. Make the sounds louder and more vibrant. Amplify any positive physical sensations you felt. Dwell on this enhanced memory for a few moments, really feeling the success.

2. Diminish the Downsides: Now, think of a memory of a performance that didn't go so well. Instead of replaying it vividly, consciously make the mental picture blurry, dim, and push it far away in your mind. Reduce the volume of any associated sounds, making them softer or even mute. Shrink the image until it's just a tiny, insignificant dot. This isn't about ignoring mistakes, but about ensuring they don't dominate your mental landscape.

The responsibility for how we choose to respond to and remember our experiences is entirely our own. What happened on the dance floor may sometimes be beyond our immediate control, but how we process and learn from it is completely up to us. By intentionally focusing on what works and adjusting your submodalities, you create a powerful internal environment that builds confidence, accelerates learning, and brings back the joy of competitive dancing.