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"Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired." --Martha Graham

Of course you know you should practice. It's like homework: parents and teachers all say you should do it, and you know you really should. But sometimes it's just a pain. Practice means sweat, blisters, loud music, and just generally exerting yourself. It can be hard to choose practicing over, say, cruising the Web from a comfy chair, especially when the benefits of practice are hard to see and slow to come.

So why practice? It seems obvious: you practice to improve. For some people that's motivation enough. Other people practice to meet goals or to succeed in competition. Still other people practice because it's fun to get sweaty and work hard and then collapse on a couch at the end of it all and feel satisfied. They practice for that feeling of satisfaction. Why don't more people practice then? Well, because they aren't motivated to practice. They have no strong reason to leave their chairs, grab their shoes, and just dance. I've been there; I'm sure we all have. Here are a few ways to jumpstart your practicing past that mental dead end.

Set measurable goals. This means to set goals that are concrete, simple, and reasonable. Good examples: "I want to reach preliminary by October." "I want to get all my hard shoe dances into novice by the end of the year." Bad examples: "I want to dance better." "I want to be better than Michael Flatley, Jean Butler, and Gillian Norris COMBINED." Notice that both of the "good" examples included deadlines. This is important because it gives your goal urgency--meaning if you want it to happen, you HAVE to get started right now.

Make mini-goals. Now that you have a grand scheme for your dancing future, break it into more manageable mini-goals, things that help you take action towards your capital-g Goal. Let's say that your Goal is to dance solos in the next Oireachtas. Make a list of all the things that you think you might possibly need to do to achieve that goal. Examples: talking to your teacher about requirements, improving turnout, improving posture, gaining flexibilty, getting a solo dress, buying plane ticket and hotel room, etc. Once you have your list, go through and see if each mini-goal is workable. Then give yourself deadlines: talking to your teacher by next week, seeing a dressmaker this month, concentrating on turnout every day for a week, etc.

Put it into action. Here's where willpower comes in. You can plan and make goals all you want, but unless you eventually change what you've been doing and put your words to work, you won't get anywhere. There is a secret to this, and it's very simple and easy to understand:

Just DO it!

Take a hint from Nike and stop making excuses, procrastinating, and finding ways around it. Those ways around practicing are not ways to achieve your goals. Starting is often the hardest part--just get going and it'll be easier to keep going. You'll thank yourself later.

Now, sometimes people practice regularly anyway and don't need a whole attitude makeover, although goal-setting can be useful for anyone. If you just need to pep up your routine, here are some small ways to get a fresh outlook on practice, including some time-honored classics.

Watch a dance video. Some favorites are Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, the Worlds, Center Stage, and Feet of Flames.

Get some new and better music. You can only take so much of the same piano-and-accordion numbers. Try a show soundtrack or even a mainstream, non-Irish song as long as it has a good beat.

Take only one step of only one dance and break it down until it's perfect.

Videotape yourself dancing and then work on what you've noticed wrong.

Tape inspirational quotes around your practice area.

Put on your dress, wig (if you have one), etc., and have a dress rehearsal.

Invite a dance friend to practice with you. (Caveat emptor--make sure you aren't such good friends that you'll end up talking instead of dancing!)

Do your old beginner steps for a change.

Spend time remembering one of your great feis victories and how awesome you felt. Dance the way you felt that day.