Keep Showing Up
Let’s say your friend invites you for his first house party and you RSVP your presence. You tell all your friends that you’ll definitely make it. But on the day of the party, if you’re feeling off, or if you’re just busy and tired, you choose not to attend the party. So even though you had the intention of going to the party for a whole week, and even though you kept your outfit ready for the night, you did not go. You did not get to talk to your friends and you did not have that pool party you were so excited about. Why? Because you didn’t show up.
Creativity is the same. You can make as many plans as you’d like, for weeks, or months even, but if you’re not there for it, not doing the work for it, you have nothing but ideas and dreams. You can dream about being a famous artist as much as you’d like, but if you’re not showing up and practicing your art, you’re not going to make it.
Some people say that they want to be a YouTuber so that they can continue to earn money while they sleep, that they want to write a novel as a way to capture and share their creativity, but they don’t show up when it’s time to put effort into that dream. But if one were to get himself to write that novel to completion, if one were to consistently create content for his youtube channel, he or she would have completed 80% of the work to get that novel published, or get consistent subscribers on the youtube channel.
80% of success is showing up.
Woody Allen summarizes this perfectly.
“Even on the days you don’t feel like it, showing up can make all the difference. If you show up and start the work, even though it feels heavy to do so, what you end up making could be all that you need to keep moving and keep creating.”
Did you show up at the gym today? Just showing up means that you’re 80% of the way to a good workout. The hard part about fighting yourself to get dressed in your workout outfit, dealing with the traffic, and worrying about the soreness is over. So once you show up, you’re more likely to have fun and work harder than you actually planned to do. Your day with end with a little bit of gratitude to yourself for making it there.
Doesn’t it make sense to you that someone who arrives at the door is more likely to be welcome than someone who is still hesitantly sitting at home? That taking even the smallest step is way better than no step at all.
So keep showing up. That will define the kind of person you are.
Are you the kind of person who would give up and feel sorry for yourself? Or are you the kind of person who would show up the next day and try to do better?
Most of your life is about showing up, even if you don’t want to. Because when you stop showing up, it will take you double the amount of effort to start it all over again. Not showing up is simply a step towards letting it all go. You’re closing the doors and denying your chance of making life different than what it currently is.
As long as you’re showing up, you’re giving yourself the chance to turn things around. That chance might be tomorrow, in the next few days, or even months later. But the chance is still alive.
People always remember the times when you showed up — whether you did your best or whether you slacked off. Because that’s what truly matters. It is a reminder that despite not getting any success, you chose to keep trying. And I know that you’d rather attempt to keep going and fail than to do nothing and succeed. The discipline your build as you start is the foundation on which your life will build.
So keep showing up. If no one believes in you, believe in yourself. Let your actions talk for themselves. Even if you don’t see the results right away, even if you don’t see the results for a very very long time, keep showing up.
What if the results don’t come?
Your results are not going to come if you quit. All your effort and sweat will yield nothing if you quit right here. If you quit, if you never start climbing, if you never take that first step, you will always wonder how life would be if you did and the only person you can hold accountable, is yourself.
Just start. Just do something. Take that first step and if you’re already past the first step, keep taking more steps. Every step you take adds up. It doesn’t matter if you can’t see the top from where you are, but just know that if you keep learning how to show up, you will get to the next level eventually and you will be exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Motivation and Inspiration give you a short-term boost but consistency will give you the growth you seek. Some of your best ideas will only come on days when you push yourself to make it even when you didn’t want to. There’s no hidden trick. Why do you think someone with the same passion as you has made it to the top while you’re still trying to make ends meet? It’s simple. They just kept showing up.
I hope you will too.
I hope you liked what you read. Life is all about showing up, and I hope you show up today to work on one of your dreams! ❤
You can listen to this blog in my podcast, Within 5 Minutes, available on all major streaming platforms — https://linktr.ee/hacchuu
