15. NO QUIT
Welcome to Episode 15 of the Salsa Kings LIVE podcast
In episode 15 of Salsa Kings Live, Andres tells us about ‘No Quit’. Andres discusses how people are often classified into one of two categories when learning anything new. The first is the ‘talented’, which pick up on material more quickly and that require less attention from a teacher. The other category is more difficult to give an accurate name without giving them something pejorative like ‘nerds’ or ‘hard workers’. These are the dancers, in our example, who need to put more effort into their learning, and require more attention than the "talented" ones.
Many will find that their opposites can teach them lessons. Even the most talented person needs a coach or teacher to get them through a thing. That teacher would either be a hard worker or a talented person who still had to put in the work to find the proper words on how to teach. Both sides of that spectrum are needed to excel. If a talented dancer becomes too overconfident, they can let their laziness mean they’re overcome by a hard worker. Don’t forget the fable of the tortoise and the hair.
Andres also talks about how easy it is to ‘settle’. It is seductive when things come naturally to not push yourself to become above mediocre. Hard workers can often end up getting the habits instilled into them than a natural would. They are more used to the work it takes to reach the top. Talented dancers will often find themselves satisfied with what they can do, and not be encouraged to exert themselves.
This is why Andres has called this episode ‘NO QUIT’. It can be very discouraging for hard workers to be constantly discouraged and berated for what they do. Andres wants these people to know how important these people are at what they do, and that if they love something that they should keep with it. Dance is an art of application, no matter what your aptitude, and the most important thing is to stick with it. The key is to always keep working and never to let yourself be discouraged or to hit a plateau.
“It’s about always reaching for what’s the best of yourself, and the best of yourself is better than yesterday, because if you trained yesterday then you are better than yesterday by default. So the results of today, by default, should be better than yesterday.”