{"id":826,"date":"2021-12-14T17:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T17:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hoopologie.com\/blog\/?p=826"},"modified":"2021-12-14T17:04:48","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T17:04:48","slug":"challenges-of-a-hoop-performer-part-1-the-definition-of-a-successful-hooper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hoopologie.com\/blog\/challenges-of-a-hoop-performer-part-1-the-definition-of-a-successful-hooper\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenges of a Hoop Performer – Part 1 The Definition of a Successful Hooper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Hillia Hula <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If only it was as simple as it appears on the outside: a hula\nhoop dancer, performing a beautiful act for an audience. Inside the performer’s\nmind exist battling thoughts that are rarely known or discussed with the\noutside world. Hoop performers navigate a chaotic internal world where our art\nis constantly judged and invalidated, if not by others, by ourselves. In this\nthree-part series, I attempt to bring awareness to the silent challenges\nperformers face and provide helpful strategies to thrive when faced with such\nissues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to be a successful hooper? Who is a successful\nhooper? These are the kind of philosophical questions that you, as a hoop\nperformer, may ponder at some point or another in your career- whether you are\njust starting out or have been in the game for decades. For myself, that\nquestion was answered by watching my early hoop idols on YouTube. I would\nobserve the types of shows they were booking and form my standards based off of\nthat. I thought to myself, Once I book my first corporate event, I\u2019ve made\nit<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still remember the feeling when I received a Facebook message\none evening, asking me if I was interested in performing for Google. Excited\nwas an understatement. I was ecstatic. I thought, This is it, I can die now\nas a happy hooper<\/em>. However, after the gig had passed, I was confronted with\nunexpected, unsettling emotions. Instead of feeling gratitude and contentment,\nI felt a yearning to prove myself to the world as a professional and was\nhungrier than ever to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next couple years were spent trying to take things to the\nnext level to impress others. In my mind, performing for a TV show would be the\nultimate success. Then I will have really made it<\/em>, I thought. Then that\nday came when I got to perform on Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart\u2019s Potluck\nParty for VH1<\/em>. The jumping up and down screaming upon hearing word of my\ngig was soon replaced, once again, by feelings of discontentment. I was\nconfused. I thought, Surely with a title like that under my belt people will\ntake me seriously and new opportunities will come flooding in<\/em>. Much to my\nsurprise, little changed in my performance career. The hype around my big\nmoment of success impressed only those in my closest friend circle and they\nseemed to forget about it as quickly as it happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here I was crushing my own milestones and achieving my wildest\ndreams, yet I still felt the anxiety of not being enough. At this point I\nrealized that more corporate gigs and TV shows were probably not going to fill\nthat void. After talking with other hoop performers, I came to realize I was\ndefinitely not alone in my experiences. I was craving recognition and approval\ninternally from the outside world for all my hard work and achievements. It was\nas though I wanted everyone to suddenly see me in a new light as this\nprofessional, and it just wasn\u2019t happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day it dawned on me that I could appear on five TV shows,\njoin Cirque du Soleil, and get all the corporate gigs one could dream of and\nthere would still be people that wouldn\u2019t bat an eye. The more I sought to be\nseen, the more invisible I felt. Worse, I felt ungrateful when I knew many\nhoopers would kill for even one of these opportunities. This played terribly\ninto my ego, and I became bitter and annoyed. I found myself bored backstage at\nshows, eager to get things over with so I could go home. How did my mental\nstate come down to this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started hooping, I was thrilled just to nail the most\nbasic trick. Somewhere down the line, I got caught up in wanting to be enough\nfor the outside world instead of being enough for myself. When you try to\nchange the lens through which others see the world to match your own, you\ncreate a recipe for continuous dissatisfaction. No matter how badly we desire\npeople to see the amazingness of hooping, it just isn\u2019t going to click with\neveryone. Yes, you heard me right. I am telling you there are people that don\u2019t\nwant to spend 24\/7 mesmerized by the love and magic of the hoop.I know,\nI know, it\u2019s hard to believe, but I am asking you to be okay with that. The\nsooner you are, the sooner you will be at peace with your performing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It only makes sense that when you live proudly, boldly, and without creative limits, your external reality will be challenged or invalidated by the outside world which would prefer you to play it safe, be practical, and \u201cpretty please, be normal.\u201d A great example of this is when I am asked if performing is my full-time job. If I say no, I typically hear a follow up response of, \u201cI hope you get good enough someday so you can make it.\u201d Hoop performers are all too familiar with phrases like \u201cGet a real job\u201d or my personal favorite (coughs with sarcasm), \u201cThis would be cool if I was on drugs\u201d when I am LED hooping. Do not let the constraints of others\u2019 thinking guide and shape your path as a hoop performer. Try these personal tips of mine to reconnect with what you love and be enough for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Live in the Moment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to live in the moment rather than check a gig off your goal\nlist. Have fun and enjoy yourself because at the end of the day, after the 15\nminutes of fame, you are left with only your memories. If you struggle to know\nhow to stay in the moment, try the following:  Take in the energy of the\nmusic, and the audience. Make a mental note of the sights, sounds, and details.\nFocus on giving your best performance for you and your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Let Gratitude Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make gratitude a daily practice, especially when you get new\ngigs. You can practice gratitude out loud or by keeping a journal. What wisdom\nor experience can you gain from the gig you will be at? Be grateful for the\nrelationships you make, the places you\u2019ve traveled to near and far, and the\nlives you\u2019ve inspired. Gratitude is the quickest path to joy! Even appreciation\nfor the simplest things can make a positive shift in your mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Find Your Why.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want you to pretend for a moment that no one will ever know\nwhere you have or haven’t performed. How would that make you feel? Would you\nstill feel the need to perform at certain gigs? What would inspire you to keep\nperforming and reaching your gig goals if no one would ever know about them\nbesides you? Perhaps you realize that you have more fun at smaller gigs because\nof the intimate connections with the audience but are chasing larger gigs\nbecause of prestige. Maybe you love larger gigs because you love the feeling of\nworking on a big stage. Find out what gives you a personal rush of excitement\nand seek to do more of that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I challenge you to use these three strategies\nto create a happier career without the pressures and judgments of the external\nworld. You will be a much happier hoop performer living in the moment and\ncarving your own path rather than doing what you think you should <\/em>be\ndoing. When you confidently and enthusiastically stick to your why,<\/em> that\nis success<\/em>. You are a successful hooper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Hillia Hula If only it was as simple as it appears on the outside: a hula hoop dancer, performing a beautiful act for an audience. Inside the performer’s mind exist battling thoughts that are rarely known or discussed with the outside world. Hoop performers navigate a chaotic internal world where our art is constantly judged and invalidated, if not by others, by ourselves. In this three-part series, I attempt to bring awareness to the silent challenges performers face and provide helpful strategies to thrive when faced with such issues. What does it mean to be a successful hooper? Who is a successful hooper? These are the kind of philosophical questions that you, as a hoop performer, may ponder at some point or another in your career- whether you are just starting out or have been in the game for decades. For myself, that question was answered by watching my early hoop idols on YouTube. I would observe the types of shows they were booking and form my standards based off of that. I thought to myself, Once I book my first corporate event, I\u2019ve made it. I still remember the feeling when I received a Facebook message one evening, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"yoast_head":"\nChallenges of a Hoop Performer - Part 1 The Definition of a Successful Hooper - Mind Body Hoop<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hoopologie.com\/blog\/challenges-of-a-hoop-performer-part-1-the-definition-of-a-successful-hooper\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Challenges of a Hoop Performer - Part 1 The Definition of a Successful Hooper - Mind Body Hoop\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Hillia Hula If only it was as simple as it appears on the outside: a hula hoop dancer, performing a beautiful act for an audience. Inside the performer’s mind exist battling thoughts that are rarely known or discussed with the outside world. Hoop performers navigate a chaotic internal world where our art is constantly judged and invalidated, if not by others, by ourselves. In this three-part series, I attempt to bring awareness to the silent challenges performers face and provide helpful strategies to thrive when faced with such issues. What does it mean to be a successful hooper? Who is a successful hooper? These are the kind of philosophical questions that you, as a hoop performer, may ponder at some point or another in your career- whether you are just starting out or have been in the game for decades. For myself, that question was answered by watching my early hoop idols on YouTube. I would observe the types of shows they were booking and form my standards based off of that. I thought to myself, Once I book my first corporate event, I\u2019ve made it. 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