As the year comes to a close, I always like to reflect on my pole journey of the past 12 months.
At the beginning of each year I write a list of things I want to achieve in the coming year, put it away in an envelope and have a look at the end of said year and see what I’ve achieved from the list.
The theory is that if it’s something that you really want to achieve, you won’t need to be constantly reminded of it. Priorities also change and so may your goals, so it’s okay not to achieve everything.
I never look back in a negative way. Yes, I’ve had some very tough moments to get through this year, as I’m sure we all have, but I can’t change the past. All I can do is be proud of how far I’ve come.
What Have You Achieved?
For me, the biggest thing on my list was to have my own studio. I put it on there more as a wish than something I thought I could achieve, as I had been looking for a studio ever since I started teaching.
But happiest of days, I managed to get a studio! Woo hoo! Now, it took all of the time and money that I had, and still needs a little more work, but I’m so happy. It’s really making a difference to everything pole.
My training time has suffered of late, but I’m at an exciting time now where I can finally just enjoy having a studio, rather than working to get it up and running.
Living in the pole world, it can sometimes be hard to see how far you’ve come, and what you’ve achieved. There are so many amazing polers out there that we watch and see evolve on social media, that it can be hard to see our own journey.
Just have a think about your poling. What moves have you achieved this year? You don’t even need to have done anything new, but perhaps made older moves stronger.
But no matter what, you should be proud of your achievements. Pole is tough. It’s very physically and mentally demanding, and takes a lot of time and practice.
Every second spent on the pole, you get more confident and stronger. Yay! Go polers 😀
Before and After Pictures
Sometimes a great way of seeing progress is to have a look back at pictures.
At the moment, Facebook’s Time Hop is showing me old moves that I posted years ago. Some I now do with ease, and others I haven’t tried for a long time, but I’m sure that these moves will be stronger now. It’s amazing to think ‘wow I can’t believe that was XXX years ago’. Sometimes I feel like I’ve only been poling for weeks.
I love looking at progress pictures that you didn’t know you had. For example, you may have taken a picture of when you did an Outside Leg Hang for the very first time. I’m sure if you were to take a picture now, it would be stronger, have better lines and perhaps even look more flexible.
Be Proud
The most important thing when looking back is to always be proud of yourself. Never look back and think ‘oh, that doesn’t look good’ because there’s no point – you can’t change it now, and the picture that you’re looking at was most probably a big achievement that made you smile for days.
Think about your current favourite moves – I’m sure they are a lot harder than your favourite moves from last year.
If you’re still new to pole, then looking back for you is awesome! You have started on an amazing journey with this super cool new skill. I’m sure you have lots of spins under your belt 😀
What is your proudest pole achievement of 2016? 😀
