Let's Be Good People

My generation gets a lot of crap for being losers.  And while I agree that the many of my peers have terrible work ethics, less than satisfactory decision making capabilities and a severe case of the "me me me" disease, I think a lot of that is due to the standards we're held to.

The inspiration for this post is a quote I saw online that eluded to the fact that the blame for any suckiness that may exist in my generation should be blamed on the generation before us, our parents, for the way they raised us.  My first thought is that that's such typical behavior, a refusal to take responsibility.  Nice work friends.  But at the same time, it makes me wonder what would be different about the whole situation if we were, as an entire generation, held to higher standards.

The dance studio where I work recently had their recital.  That night I gave all my dancers hand-written notes, just congratulating them on the year and thanking them for the experiences I've had with them.  The next day I got this email from one of the moms:

I just want to say you have been such a great role model for the dance girls. You were tough when needed and I appreciate you holding them to high standards, good work ethic, timeliness, and discipline. We need more of this for the young generation!! Thank you for taking the time for writing an individual note to each girl. Alex was so touched and literally bawled her way through it. You had an impact on her! Thanks for supporting her!!

The studio just opened this year and the majority of my students had danced before at a studio I, myself, trained at when I was younger.  When they started class with me my expectations were so much higher than they had ever been used to, and because I knew the environment where they were coming from, I knew that they would be totally overwhelmed by my demands.

But guess what.

It took about a month, but eventually they got used to me.  And they began to excel.  As stated in the email, I expected the girls to come to class on time, to be prepared to work, and to never half-ass anything.  If they missed a class and thus missed new choreography, they knew they were supposed to be caught up on whatever they missed before the next class - I would not re-teach anything, I would always answer any questions though.  

I take full responsibility for making almost all of the girls cry at least once.  And while it breaks my heart to see my girls unhappy in the environment I provide, I know at the end of the day it's what they need.  Me letting it slide when they arrive 15 minutes late to a rehearsal the week before a competition is not going to do them any good.

My point is, that higher expectations reap more beneficial rewards.  Raising the bar might make some people upset to begin with, but my goal is never to make everyone happy all the time - in the studio and in real life - my goal is to do my part in making things better.  If that was everybody's motivation I'd be interested to see what kind of comments would be made about my generation.  

At the end of the day, expectations are a significant indicator of what will actually happen.  So raise your expectations of yourself and the people around you, and let's make this world a rockin' place to be.