Showing up.

It’s a highly technical and mysterious skill.

Individuals cultivate this art by going on 4 week pilgrimages to very high mountains. This work-of-art like trait comes from grueling fasting and other mystic tomfoolery…

No, it doesn’t.

But it is a skill.

It’s a skill that’s actually easy to obtain.

It’s almost hard to call this “a skill”.

Is Showing Up Elusive?

It’s almost like a cheat code. Like up, up, down, down, left, right, left right B & A (for those who don’t get it)

It’s effortless, but nevertheless a cultivated habit.

The more and more you stop showing up, the easier it becomes.

Non-arrivals bring excuses.

We justify being late.

People stop counting on us and we think the problem is there’s.

I mean after all, we know ourselves, right?

The more you do it, though…

The easier it gets.

It’s addictive to be THERE.

When you are there, you hear opportunity knocking louder.

Those who don’t show up, miss that annoying Mr. Opportunity begging to come in.

The shower-uppers, don’t mind being the early-arrival nerd.

There’s no face to save, or face to lose because you showed up.

There’s only gain.

Gain for you or gain for others.

Gain. Help. Learning. Lending-a-hand or an ear….whatever the case may be.

These are words I associate with arrival.

Early classes…

I learned about midway through the university to take 8am classes.

Take 8am classes and no matter what show up.

A few times I was in no condition to learn.

My head was on my desk.

Eyelids propped up by 2 Bic pens.

But I was there.

And I firmly believe that made the difference many times in how the professor graded me.

It made the difference from a B to an A in some cases.

They noticed the students who showed up.

Showing up puts you THERE.

Take people who may not be the most talented. They can get ahead and pass the next prospect, simply because they show up.

A large portion of the victories in life, go to those who were in that prized location called THERE.

I’ve gotten jobs and others overlooked because I was THERE.

Bids went to my company because we were faster to answer.

Problems in orders, in life, in whatever paradigm were solved because I was THERE.

If you’re not there you can’t help.

If you don’t show up, how you can improve the situation?

Or improve yourself?

You still have to have talent

I’m not saying you show up and just keep a seat warm.

You’re not passive as life floats by you.

You show up, on the balls of your feet ready to rock n’ roll.

People who show up are proclaiming,

“I’m here, what can I do?”

“How can I help?”

“Let me take a look at that for you”

“We’ll go ahead and start this unless you have a better idea”.

Notice how SHOWING UP is akin to INITIATIVE…

Can people find you?

How will other business find you if you don’t show up?

Social media IS the new market square. It’s not BECOMING the new market square, it is, like it or not.

Call me weird, but if I look for a potential business partner on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn and I cannot find hide nor hair of them…then it looks kinda flakey. It’s no longer 2010.

Moving forward, how can we use this seemingly insignificant act that can do great things?

It doesn’t just have to be social media.

It can be meetings.

Phone calls.

Family gatherings.


Where can you show up, do more and give more?