You Can Do Anything: 11 Ways to Beat Discouragement During Audition Prep

There’s a long time span from reading the audition info of your dream NFL pro cheer team to its audition day. Many things happen that can cause you to feel discouraged. It might stem from your own thoughts or actions and it can also come from others. Here's how to overcome discouragement in 11 simple steps.

1. Start your day with the right question

For your first thought of the day, challenge yourself by asking, “What can I do today to get closer to my goal of becoming a professional arena cheerleader?” Challenging yourself positively helps you move on from mistakes to success.

2. Control your ego

Your unchecked ego will cause you disappointment and discouragement so don’t allow it to. Don’t be too confident and don’t think so low of yourself as well. Instead, keep your ego in the neutral zone to allow for growth and development in yourself.

3. Encourage someone else

Help someone who needs it by offering that person advice. This simple act will spark positive emotions. You can rediscover some self-encouragement that you’ve forgotten or you come up with new ideas that you can implement in your audition prep.

4. Visualize what life is when you succeed

Ditch the negative “what-ifs”. Instead, imagine what happens in the future if you pass the auditions and beyond that. Visualizing the future inspires you to work hard to make that dream of becoming a pro cheerleader become a reality!

5. Make a dream board

Cut out photos of your favorite team cheerleaders. Paste or pin these photos onto a small poster board and hang it in your room. For maximum effect, cut out your face from photos of you, and paste YOUR face over the face of a team cheerleader! Seeing those images every day will encourage you to strive in making those images come true.

6. Watch some comedy

Induce the release of happy hormones in your brain. Watch some comedy movies to get rid of the negativity. Even comedy movies can be inspiring. Take Miss Congeniality, for example, an FBI agent with a lack of refinement and femininity who overcomes the odds of joining a national pageant just to get a job done.

7. There are no failures, only lessons

Don’t beat yourself up for failing to achieve an audition goal. Instead, review what went wrong. Work on that mistake. Strategize a new technique and apply that. Check the results. Undesirable? Revise. Successful? Retain.

8. Go to your comfort zone

Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, being in your comfort zone makes you think clearly. Is alone time better for self-encouragement? Or is socializing with your friends more effective to overcome disappointment?

9. Seek help

There are times when you cannot do everything alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or help. Find a mentor for guidance or talk to a family member and share your worries. It is very helpful for those who are stuck to consider another person’s perspective so they can move forward.

10. Watch some Tedx Talks

If a mentor is unavailable or if family members are busy, inspirational discussions from Tedx Talk s are just as effective. There many female guest speakers who have been through various discouragements and their stories encourage you to overcome yours.

11. Get proper sleep

A lack of proper sleep causes stress and stress will cause negative thinking. Always make sure you get the recommended hours of sleep at night. Prevention is always better. Instead of looking for ways to beat discouragement, don’t let it happen in the first place by prioritizing quality sleep.

Feeling discouraged at times is normal - it’s a part of being human. It can mean that you realize your shortcomings. What’s not okay is when you allow discouragement to settle in and you don’t look for a way to overcome it. Once you feel something dragging you down, kick it off so you can get back up. Better yet, keep your tank full so you can prevent negativity from sinking in! Here are some strategies to care for yourself.