What a Popular Cheerleader Camp Reveals About Success

These key points can get you ahead in life

I love the Dallas Cowboys! The NFL football team with the blue star.

The other day I was looking for something interesting to watch on tv and came across the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

I got caught up in watching the interesting process the young ladies go through to become a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader (DCC). The prospects are narrowed down from hundreds to 36.

This system is not easy, but it’s necessary if the young ladies want to be chosen and show up looking captivating as they put on an amazing performance for America’s Team and for the fans and other onlookers. And equally important, the process minimizes stress for the director and coordinator.

Hundreds of Dallas Cowboys cheerleader hopefuls show up from all over the world — the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan… and they even come from other NFL teams to audition. These young ladies are excited, scared, optimistic and anxious as they try out before a panel of judges. They do it in hopes of putting on one of the world’s most recognizable uniforms.

Being a part of this experience is something spectacular for them and it’s a lofty goal they wish to achieve.

But it takes more than a wish and pretty looks to make the squad. It takes genuine effort, dedication, discipline, focus, and a 3- month commitment to be considered as one of America’s sweethearts.

The young ladies not only have to be a certain size and weigh a certain amount, but they also have to have a certain physique, which means their bodies have to look a certain way to be an engaging and dynamic cheerleader in the iconic uniform.

They also need to learn the dance routines and do them with excellence (not perfection) and look fierce doing it along with mastering the signature DCC strut and squad kick.

This strict and organized system that the director, coordinator, and coaches have in place is very demanding but effective. These knowledgeable people want to see high-quality performance from the training camp candidates. And the training camp candidates have to bring their A game in order to be chosen.

The cheerleaders -to- be can eat what they want but they can’t gain too much weight or those scant uniforms will show every love handle.

The training camp candidates have to exercise and work out. Yes, to stay fit … but here’s something that may be shocking to you — They also run in the sun and exercise to prepare for the brutal Texas heat.

The cheerleader hopefuls can’t have negative posts or images on social media.

They have to embrace the tight and inflexible schedule.

And speaking of the media, they have to go to media school to be prepared for any far out questions posed to them as well as expected questions reporters might ask.

The training camp candidates actually show up in a classroom and sit across from a pretend reporter in a mock interview to practice anticipated scenarios to see how they will answer. And if they answer incorrectly or not the DCC way, the coordinator will correct them, so they’re not left stuttering and stammering and looking foolish in front of millions.

Guess what else…

They better know who the Cowboys’ coach is and know at least the star players, including who plays on defense and who plays on offense. It’s not all about cheering. It’s also about valuing others and teamwork and working as a unit for the franchise.

The DCC selection process is a major production. And if you watch the show only one time, you’ll see all that it takes to produce the stellar performance that fans love — especially the guys.

But what’s the deeper meaning of all of this? What exactly is unfolding here?

What I saw was that if we really want something, we have to do what it takes to go after it.

I saw that it’s more than making the team (or BUILDING a team from the director and coordinator’s points of view). It’s about achieving a personal goal.

And if the training camp candidates want to be chosen and look great and positively impact the multitudes by their showmanship whether live, on tv, or online streaming, they have to put forth intentional, genuine effort and take worthwhile advice from people with a proven system of good results.

If the young ladies implement hard work, perseverance, determination, and commitment, the reward is so sweet!

They get chosen along with earning fame, improved confidence, better relationships, better relationship-building skills, and opportunities presented in ways that they otherwise would not have been given.

In short, the DCC process is life-changing for them.

Like them, a lot of times I have to practice and work hard at something until I see the results I want.

I have to be serious, focused, and intentional.

This is how the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Approach works:

HAVE a DESIRE

I (and so do you) have a desire to do something great, even though it may be challenging to achieve. Each one of us is passionate about something. When we take steps towards it, life becomes more meaningful.

WILLING TO PREPARE

In order to give ourselves the opportunity to achieve greatness, we have to be willing to put forth genuine effort. We have to be eager to listen to others who are willing to give us useful advice.

WILLING TO PERSEVERE

We can’t throw in the towel when frustration sets in. We have to see it to the finish line, making adjustments along the way. Success is achieved, whether large or small, when we stay focused on what we want to do and push forward to get it.

WILLING TO BE VULNERABLE

We need to put ourselves out there. Experience is a good teacher and making mistakes is a good teaching tool. I’ve seen this age-old adage confirm this for me time and time again. When we fail, we shouldn’t look at ourselves as failures, but as someone who got a crash course in what not to do.

Thomas Edison said it well: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

LEARN NEW THINGS

This is how we add spice to our lives as well as make ourselves valuable. This IS personal development and self improvement. When we learn new things, we discover other facets of ourselves — — what we like and don’t like — and our life is enhanced because of this.

Armed with new experiences, we have more substance and the capability of doing something life changing for ourselves and for others. People need and want what we know, so we shouldn’t be afraid to try new things.

BUILD CONFIDENCE

By building self confidence and “cheering” ourselves on when nobody else does is empowering. Self confidence is the agent that gets us in a position for opportunities along with preparation. The more confident we are, the more we take risks. The risk-taking sets us up to discover new things — a better job, a significant other, an answer, the help — we’re looking for.

ACHIEVE GOALS

There are very few things more rewarding than achieving what we set out to do. This achievement triggers the hormones dopamine and endorphins. These hormones are released during feel-good situations. Dopamine motivates and endorphins reduces stress. They both make us happy, an emotion that every human being loves to experience.

And the way we do that is by setting goals and working on them daily and consistently making necessary adjustments where needed until we achieve them. The more we achieve our goals, the better we feel, and the more we keep setting new goals. The cycle keeps repeating.

THE TAKEAWAY

If we really want something bad enough (desire), we’ll do what it takes to get it, even though it may not always be easy or a quick process. Sometimes the challenges in our way of success may be grueling or may just be in our minds. But if we focus on these key points, we can see our dreams come true. And when our dreams become reality, that’s one of the most amazing feelings.

By the way – many of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have college degrees and some have degrees beyond a bachelor’s. So, they have more than just a cute look. They’re smart, they embrace challenges, they love trying new things, they volunteer at various community organizations, and are willing to take steps to reach their goals with the DCC team as they have reached their goals in their profession.

You can see what I call the DCC Success Approach right here.

I’m a freelance writer for healthy living and personal development. Visit my website at: http://smloftonwrites.com/ Connect with me on Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherondamlofton/