Showing up in your life.
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
We’re taught that if we consistently show up in our lives, we can reach our fullest potential and achieve our goals, ultimately resulting in a richer, more rewarding and happier life. But what exactly do we mean when we talk about “showing up”? It’s not just about turning up for work at 9am, being home to get the kids’ dinner on the table or attending all the social engagements.
Essentially, when we talk about “showing up”, we mean being present in more than one way. It's about consistently making an effort for the things that matter - whether that's at work, at home, among friends, or for yourself and your personal goals - however hard that might be, and however vulnerable it might make you feel. It’s also about living in the moment and taking things one day at a time, because sometimes taking even the smallest step forward - however insignificant it may seem - is enough to keep you moving towards your goal.
The best part? Showing up isn’t about being perfect. Far from it, in fact. It’s more about being brave, embracing the discomfort we feel when we put ourselves “out there” and accepting that things can go wrong (or go in a different direction than originally planned), too. It’s about focusing on the process over the outcome, and making the most of the opportunities that creates, because we don’t always know what’s around every corner. Committing to showing up also means being more accepting, and self compassionate when things don’t go quite as planned, because they often won’t! Not getting too hung-up on the details - whatever the circumstances - is a key part of creating meaningful change in our lives.
Yes, it might be scary and yes, it might be hard. But showing up and taking the first step towards building a new habit, working towards achieving a goal or creating change that we want to see in our lives, is the first step towards acting with integrity and intention, and deliberately putting our authentic selves in the path of new opportunities.
So, get out there, put yourself forward and shine your light on the world. What are you waiting for?
