The Difference Between Interest and Commitment in Dancing

The short answer: an interested dancer trains when it's convenient or when they feel like it. A committed dancer shows up consistently, and you can see it in their calendar, their chequebook and their coach. If you tell yourself you're committed but your actions say you're only interested, there's a disconnect, and your results will show it. Be honest with yourself about where you are, then step it up.

What is the difference between interest and commitment in dancing?

Think of a full English breakfast: bacon and eggs. Was the chicken more committed, or the pig? The chicken was just interested. It lays an egg when it feels like it. The pig gave everything for that breakfast.

So ask yourself: are you the chicken or the pig? An interested dancer does it when it's convenient. A committed dancer turns up whether they feel like it or not.

Why do you need to stop lying to yourself about your dancing?

Self-deception is the easiest thing we do. We all have a story playing in our heads about why things happen, and it either serves us or holds us back. If you say you're committed but your behaviour reflects interest, you won't get the results you want. The more honest you are with yourself, the easier it is to make a plan that actually gets you to your goals.

How do you know if you're really committed to your dancing?

These are the points I cover in the video, in order:

1. Check your excuses: when you have more excuses than reasons, you'll never win. When you have more reasons than excuses, you'll always win.
2. Look at your chequebook, calendar and coach: that's where real commitment shows up.
3. Match your actions to your goal: commitment doesn't have to mean giving up your whole life like a professional, but your actions need to be in harmony with what you want.
4. Be consistent: it's all good if it's in the diary, but if you don't show up, you're not consistent, and it's very hard to be committed without consistency.
5. Don't confuse passion with commitment: you can be committed in your head and heart and still not be doing the work.
6. Step it up: if you're already committed within your time and budget, add one more day or one more hour, even if it's practice at home.
7. See sacrifice as a rebirth: I call this the Phoenix Principle. You give up something of lower concern today, like Netflix, for something of a higher nature tomorrow.

Common mistakes

• Saying you're committed while turning up to only two of the four lessons you've booked in a month.
• Having more excuses than reasons.
• Training only when it's convenient or when you feel like it.
• Setting a big goal, like turning professional, while complaining about the cost of a group class.
• Confusing a passion for dancing with real commitment.

Try this in your next practice

Give yourself 7 days, 30 days or a year at the highest level of commitment you can sustain. Write out what you'll do each week, put it in your calendar and share it with someone who will hold you to it. Then notice when your feelings start dictating what you do. That's interest creeping back in.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between being interested and being committed?

An interested dancer trains when it's convenient or when they feel like it. A committed dancer shows up consistently, no matter how they feel.

How can I tell if I'm committed or just interested?

Look at your calendar, your chequebook and whether you have a coach. If your feelings decide what you do more than your commitment does, you're interested.

Do I have to sacrifice everything to be a committed dancer?

No. Every professional dancer I know committed at that level, but a weekend competitor doesn't need to. What matters is being honest with yourself and consistent with what you commit to.

What is the Phoenix Principle?

It's how I think about sacrifice. It isn't giving something up and being a martyr about it. It's the death of your old identity for the rebirth of a new one.

Can I still get better if I'm older or have only just started?

Yes. Whatever your age or experience, you can be better than you are right now, but it's going to take commitment.

Related lessons

• How to stay motivated to train and practise
• Why passion is for amateurs
• Why you must have goals for your dancing
• The one decision that solves your dance problems

Vaughan Liddicoat is a 4 time World Professional 10 Dance representative for Australia, an accredited coach and the founder of Ballroom Mastery. He has a passion for dance and wants to help you become the best dancer you can be and have an amazing time doing it.