Below is an excerpt from the new book It's Your Turn! The Success Blueprint For The Dance Teacher. To get your copy email us at danceteacherweb@aol.com

Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve.
- Mary Kay Ash

M.I.W. -the wonderful acronym we use for our dancers that stands for:

M ake It Work!

When you think about, it isn't that what teaching is about? We teach our students to cultivate this mentality and as teachers show this in all we do. That is show biz and, as a matter of fact, that's what life is about! A can-do attitude will take you places you can't even imagine.

Remember: Your attitude determines your actions or inactions. Your outlook will determine your life's outcome more than any other single factor!

WARNING: Beware of those who will try to knock you down!

There are two kinds of people in the world.

There are doers and the naysayers.

The doers are the ones who will lend support, tips, solutions, ideas and encouragement when you need it most!

The doers are people you will meet along the way who will be eager to lend support and sensible advice. They will also be people from your past who have invested time and love into helping you achieve.

The naysayers focus on what is wrong with you, your ideas or plan, rather than what is right with it.

Naysayers possess a doubting spirit.

Naysayers hate change.

Naysayers talk behind your back and hate to see others succeed.

Naysayers cause dissension.

Naysayers will try to make your life a misery.

The key here is to look closely at the associations in your life, for that is the direction in which you are heading. In other words, choose your associates with great care and avoid the naysayers at all costs!

Fill your life and your career with doers. Build your circle with doers, and you will move forward. If you have people around you who are always trying to pull you down, you will not reach your full potential. Get these people out of your life and career, and watch how you FLY!

YOUR Attitude determines YOUR actions.

You are not what you think you are. What you think, you are!

Tell me your vision of your life and career, and I will tell you your future. If you want to change your career or your life, change your vision. Build a picture in your mind of what your ideal career or life would look like, be like, and you will bring it to life. Seems too simple or unbelievable? Think again! Keep this new picture in your mind 24/7, and expect that blimps will come along the way. This should not and must not deter you. Life isn't always easy or fair, so what?-you are the master of your life!

Staying Connected

Recently Angie and I had the opportunity to visit our long-time family friend and mentor, Fred Favorite. Fred had an amazing career as a professional dancer, choreographer, show producer and teacher. His many credits include performing in the Bob DeVoye Trio that starred as guest artists with Liberace, on The Ed Sullivan Show, and toured the world and appeared in all of the top theaters and nightclubs as a headline act. He and Bob helped Angie and I develop our act and gave us our first job in one of their terrific productions as a featured act and lead dancers. I have personally known Fred since I was a very young boy.

We love Fred, and he is family to us. It does not matter how much time has passed since we last saw him-we'll always pick up right where we left off. Aside from all the great memories and laughs we have, he always lends wonderful support and encouragement. His insight and passion for dance and life is as valuable today as it was many years ago. Now in his eighties, he is such a joy to be with and talk to. I love to tap into his knowledge and to hear the wonderful stories. I recommend that you connect and reconnect with your friends and mentors. They are the ones who will rejoice most in your achievements-after all, they have played a BIG part in where you are today and where you will go tomorrow.

Remember you did not get to where you are today on your own. Someone has helped you to get to where you are and they may very well continue to do so. Sometimes when we look back, it helps us to move forward. Lessons learned on the journey, with all the ups and downs, should help you to develop your life plan. If you get nothing else out of this book, I hope you will decide today to create a life plan that becomes the road map to take you where you want to go. Be bold, and share that plan with your close circle of doers who want to see you succeed and are thrilled by your advancement. And once you have developed that plan, the time to proceed is NOW! Don't wait-the best time to make your move is today. Procrastination is the biggest enemy you will face on your life's journey.

Be All You Can Be!

This was a slogan made famous by the U.S. Army during one of its recruiting campaigns. It should be your personal mission statement. The only way to advance is to stretch, and I am not talking about improving your split! Rubber bands come in all sizes, but to be effective, they must be stretched. Like rubber bands, we have different personalities but must stretch to be effective. John Maxwell has written that 95 percent of people avoid stretching. The main reason? Most of us are vulnerable when we are stretching. When you put yourself out there, you encounter problems and issues. You draw criticism along the way, but you will know you are making progress when you receive the most resistance. Another reason we avoid stretching is because it will involve change. Change can be uncomfortable and may mean you will need to grow. But that is what great teachers teach! To evolve and to advance in all you do, you must continue to stretch!

Most people never learn that stretching never stops. I understand the need for recuperation and restoration, but problems develop when we stretch a little and rest a lot. Too often dancers believe that once they become teachers, their education is over. To be great, understand that the days of learning and discovery never end. A good dance education or any education for that matter does nothing more than to teach us to stretch and learn for the rest of our lives. Don't ever fall into the mindset of, "Oh I know that," or "What can they teach me that I don't already know," or "I tried that once." The happiest people in the world are growing people. Angela and I wanted to be able to help dance teachers grow, learn and advance and to give them a place to go where they could receive inspiration and practical help at the click of a button. Never stop learning, growing and advancing, and you will never burnout!

The Need For Positive Affirmation

Find time to talk to yourself, and make sure you speak in terms of positive affirmations. You will have doubts along the way, and if you are not careful, you will think and even worse speak negatively about yourself and your career. Yes, you may even encounter failure along the way. But don't ever let failure become final. Be aware that discouragement is failure's partner. The doers in your life will help you pull out of those discouraging moments. Keep in mind that during those down times, one of the best ways to help yourself is through helping others. Become an encourager! The best time to support others is when they are stretching themselves. Many times people wait too long to lend support and as a result are too late. I think there are times we are reluctant to encourage risk takers, because in doing so we identify with them. In other words we go out on a limb with them. If they fail, we fail too! I believe that you should encourage early and often. If you see a friend or colleague slipping, jump right in and lend him or her some practical help. Don't hesitate to give support in front of others as nothing is more helpful than giving honest praise in front of your peers. Write down some positive affirmations that speak to you and read them daily. Hey, some days will be harder than others. I'll bet if you look back on even your darkest days you will have found out a lot about yourself-and will find valuable lessons that will enhance your life as you move forward. Sometime we make mistakes. Don't be too hard on yourself. Put it into your "lessons learned" library and move on.

Your Journey Is Your Life!

Most people will look back on their lives and remember fondly some of the tough times they endured. They consider lessons learned and how those times are for the most part overtaken by good memories. Don't get caught up in where you are today and think that you won't be happy until you reach some distant or imagined destination. Many people think that when they arrive at a certain point, they will be happy. Most folks think that when they retire or when they have a better studio to work at or when they take a trip or reach some financial goal, that they will then be happy. Being goal-oriented is great and must be part of your mission. But don't forget to enjoy the journey as much as the arrival. I imagine your happiest moments will happen along the way, not at the end of the trip. Don't fall into the "if only" trap. You can put any goal or dream after that phrase. If you are not careful it can pull you down because you are always looking for something out in the future. Instead of telling yourself "if only" make the most of what you have right now, today! No one thing can make you happy or miserable. Take responsibility for your own personal happiness, and don't let anyone or anything steal your joy!