Repeating is NOT Failing

I'll let you in on a secret. Repeating a pole level, a class, or a course, is not a failure. In fact sometimes it can be one of the wisest, healthiest, and more practical things to do along your pole journey.

Yep, I've done it many times and will continue to as I travel in my pole journey.

If you find you need to take a break from poling, whether it be from injury, time away, holidays, or just because, you WILL find your strength and your conditioning - muscular and skin, will have gone backwards. Sometimes this is only a little bit but more often than not it's quite a bit more. Repeating your last level, or even going back to the one before that, can not only safely and gently return to where you once were, you get the opportunity to re-learn moves, see them from an experienced perspective, and truly nail tricks, which in turn will make you that much better within your poling in the long run.

Really, it's a game of patience.

Every polers progression, the pace that tricks are learned, how your body adapts and copes, and those interfering life events, are all part of an individual experience. It is an experience unique to you and different from most of your pole peers.

The first time you even start to consider repeating as an option, you may question yourself and your abilities. You may even consider not returning to pole because of a perceived weakness at not being able to keep up with your peers. It is such a shame that our negative thoughts can sometimes talk us out of the things we would get the most benefit from. If you can bring that talk around to coming from a place of love, support, and care for yourself, then you can talk yourself into repeating, and talk yourself into being okay with it. Really from experience, it's not that big a deal.

I can honestly say repeating levels has been a gift.

I will also confess that the first time I did, the first performance night when my old group performed at a higher level without me I got teary, because I adored them all and I wanted to progress with them but it was taken out of my control because of injury.

In hindsight though I see the gift I was given.

Repeating levels introduced me to different instructors who are very individual in their teaching styles.

Repeating levels made me more adaptable in the development of my own poling style.

Repeating levels allowed me to meet such a broader group of people at my pole studio. I wouldn't have interacted so intimately with these people if I hadn't repeated. I wouldn't swap that even if I could.

I still adore my original group who are now graduates, working as instructors, starting to compete, or have moved on to other studios. I still feel a part of them, but I also feel that same connection with every other group I've learned to pole with along the way as well. And seriously, pole dancers are just the most amazingly diverse group of interesting people I've ever had the pleasure to know.

Let me in all my wisdom once again say it: Repeating is not failing it's an opportunity to do better, to be better, and to pole better. Embrace it, enjoy it, stay healthy and strong, there's still so much for you to achieve.