OnTheBeach: 12 Lessons a ‘Bounce to the Music’ Goal Can Teach You

So, we’re another week closer to my gig week – and a week further into my bouncing training. (if you missed this last week, next week I am going to 2 gigs and I want to be fit enough to bounce along to songs without collapsing in a gasping heap, clutching my calves in agony…and I forgot about this goal til 2 weeks before the gigs. Sigh.) It’s going really well, and I’ve picked out some key learning points that will help you go after your goals, even if you’ve only got a small amount of time left to go for them.

1. It ain’t too late til you dead

Listen, it was SO tempting to just not bother to do the training. I only had two weeks, what could I do in that time, what was the point, it was too late. Only it wasn’t. Within days I was doubling the amount of time I could bounce without collapsing and gasping for oxygen. Within days I had to stop not because I was out of breath, but because the calf burn was excruciating (this was progress, honest!). Within days, I could see and feel the difference the training was making. So it wasn’t too late at all. So even if you’re thinking the end of the year is nigh or you should have run a marathon/written a book/started a business when you were 12, get over it and get on with it.

(and by the way, if you’re still thinking it’s too late or you’re too old, check this out.)

2. Control the controllables

One of my favourite tv shows is “Strictly Come Dancing”, and this year, one of the contestants is an ex Rugby player (and fittie) Ben Cohen . One of the things I love about him (other than the fact that he’s fit!) is his saying “Control the controllables”. Sports stars are wonderful for this kind of attitude. You cannot control what other people do, what the other team do, what the weather will do, how much time you have before you need to bounce at a gig. You can control what you can do about it. So, in my case, I can control how much training I do, how often, for how long, how I track it. I can’t really control the time I have left, so there’s no use bemoaning that I don’t have more time. Do your part in going after your goal, control the things you can control and don’t worry about the rest.

3. Create a spreadsheet (or other way to keep track)

I am a HUGE geek and I love to create a spreadsheet (mine works out the averages of my daily bounce times automatically…see? Geek), so I thoroughly enjoyed playing around in excel to find a way to keep track of what I was doing – I record how long I am able to bounce for before I have to stop. The average calculation shows me if I am improving overall. And I am. It’s inspiring, and it shows you if what you are doing is working or not. You can also keep track of mini-targets, so you can feel that sense of achievement when you get 25% of the way to your goal, then halfway and so on.

4. Do something every day

You know what, I’m all for focused bursts of energy when you just get shit done…but for many things, a daily action will keep you focused and moving towards your goal. Daily. So that you can’t forget about it until 2 weeks before. Ahem. What are your top 3 goals for the rest of this year? What can you do daily to move a step closer to each goal?

5. Don’t beat yourself up when you miss a day or you do your action imperfectly

Nobody’s perfect. Everyone fluffs up sometimes, we all miss a day. When you make it a big deal, and beat yourself up, and tell yourself all your faults, and put yourself down, you make it way less likely that you’ll get back on the wagon tomorrow. Last week, I had a day when I just didn’t want to bounce. I knew I’d get into it if I did (I always do), I knew it’d feel good to do…but I just didn’t wanna. So I gave myself the day off and just did it the next day. Missing one day out of 10? Not that big a deal!

6. Make it fun

If you’re going to do something every day, make it as fun as you can – it just makes it easier to do! I have a bouncing playlist full of songs that when I see those bands live, I always bounce to. If I just bounced on a mini trampette every day, I’d get very bored. Because there are 52 songs on the playlist that I want to bounce to, I just put the playlist on and straightaway want to bounce, and sing, and wave my arms in the air! Woohoo!

7. Make it easy to do it

I know myself really well. If I had said to myself “I’ll do an hour’s bouncing a day”, I’d have done it maybe once (but unlikely I’d have done the full hour, I’d have got bored), then not had time for 8 days, then given up because I hadn’t done it for 8 days. This would not help me get fit enough to bounce without gasping for air and clutching my calves. Make it easy so you don’t weasel your way out of it! Take one step, send one e-mail, write one paragraph, do your yoga for just 10 minutes, bounce for 10 minutes. Make it easy.

8. Don’t be half-assed and wishy washy.

Commit. Do you want that goal or don’t you? If you don’t, don’t waste your time and beat yourself up over something you don’t give a shite about anyway! If you do want it, commit to it. Commit to doing what you can. Commit to showing up even when you don’t want to. Commit to taking whatever action you decide on. Commit to getting feedback on what you’re doing and making it better. Commit. I know that when I’m at that gig, I am going to bounce…so if I’m not fit, I won’t enjoy my bouncing and I will be ashamed of myself. So I am committed to showing up every day and bouncing on that trampoline. Yeah, I know your goals might be a bit more high brow and life-changing, but the point’s the same – know that when you achieve your goal you’ll have what you say you want…so show up and get it done.

9. Improve as you go along

You may stand back in amazement as I say this, but believe me: most people don’t get it perfectly right first time! I know, astonishing, right? Look, I know you know this…but when it comes to ourselves, somehow we expect ourselves to be perfect from the off. But nobody is – don’t wait til you’re perfect, just start heading in the right direction and course-correct as you go. When I first started bouncing, I’d forgotten about my bouncing playlist, so I was messing about trying to find appropriate bouncing training music. Then I realised after a few days that I wasn’t tracking what I was doing. Then I realised maybe a bit of warm up would help the old calf muscles to not seize up within a minute. Then I realised I needed to make sure I’d been to the loo before I started bouncing… My point is, I learned from what I was doing and I got better. Have the intention to do the same. Start, evaluate, improve, keep going .

10. Celebrate your progress

Life is not a concentration camp you know. You are allowed to celebrate even the most minor of progress. When I got from 30 seconds of bouncing to a whole minute before I had to stop, I was delighted. When I got up to bouncing for 7 minutes in a row, I was ecstatic! You don’t have to throw a party, just pause and acknowledge that you are making progress, meeting mini-targets, getting better, doing stuff. Too often, we just horsewhip ourselves to do more, more, more, dammit. Stop that mistreatment right now, and give yourself some credit, a pat on the back, a moment to raise a glass and say ‘yay me!’

11. Wear a good bra (have the right equipment)

Hey listen, we’re talking bouncing here…a good bra is a non-negotiable! (and to be fair, that could be one of my life rules – wear a good bra) But to relate it more generally to all goals – make sure you’ve got the right support and equipment to accomplish your goal. You can do it without the right support and equipment, but it will be much tougher, and you may get a black eye!

12. Have a bouncing playlist.

Every time I hear my bouncing playlist (populated with Sterephonics, 30 seconds to mars, muse, Black Eyed Peas etc), I want to bounce. And frankly, I think that every moment of life should have a soundtrack (having the ‘job’ of finding music to go with a moment in a tv program or film – AWESOME!). Create a playlist for your goal – keep it inspiring and fun and light. Because life’s just better with a playlist!

So there you have it, 12 lessons a ‘bounce to the music’ goal can teach you…what can you add in to help you make your dreams a reality this year? Add your thoughts in the comments.

Love

Donna.x