Then I left the printed copy on the printer.
So I winged in (wung it?) and everyone got to see that I have no idea where Ohio is in relation to Indiana and the rest of the mid west.
On a related note, I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few weeks, as my "classes left" count dwindles and I face massive upheaval in pretty nearly every aspect of my life. This last year and a half has been nothing short of miraculous for my self-esteem, and that's largely been due to the innumerable mistakes I've made while teaching.
In the beginning, it really bothered me to make mistakes...being off beat (I'm basically never on), miscounting reps on one side, skipping entire sets of exercises...I was out of breath 90% of the time because I was so nervous all the time. I made a VERY conscious effort to NOT point out the mistakes though (even that I wasn't perfect at) and guess what? 9 times out of 10, no one noticed. That one other time, we all laughed it off.
So as the months have gone on and as I've taught more and more, I've embraced my inability to keep a beat or keep count, and have either found ways to compensate for it or found ways to laugh it off. My confidence has grown, and with it I've gained a new comfort in my own skin that I never had before. I've stopped trying to be like other instructors (though I still take their classes for inspiration and motivation!) because let's face it - my regulars come to my classes because they like how I teach. I like to think my classes are tough but conquerable, and that everyone leaves feeling happy, sore, and accomplished, even if it's just a little.
On that note, this is a friendly remind to all you gym bunnies out there: your instructors and trainers are people too, and no compliment goes unnoticed...even the simple act of asking who does a song you like is encouraging. If you enjoy a class or a song, tell the instructor...I guarantee it'll make his/her day.
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