Most all of us have received hordes of advice about how to succeed in life. Work hard. Set goals. Stay focused. Never give up. Visualize success. Make a five-year plan. Wake up at 4:30 a.m. and drink something that tastes like lawn clippings.
All of that may have merit, but I offer a simpler strategy that I learned many years ago: Show up. That’s it. Before we can work hard, we have to show up. Before we can improve, we have to show up. Before we can win, we have to show up. It sounds too simple, which is probably why we overlook it.
Showing up creates opportunity. It applies to nearly everything.
Want to get in better shape? Show up at the gym. You don’t have to lift like Arnold Schwarzenegger on your first day. In fact, if you do, you may spend the next three days moving like a folding lawn chair.
Want to improve at work? Show up prepared. Ask questions. Take on something difficult. Learn from the people around you.
Want better relationships? Show up. Put down the phone. Listen. Be there when someone needs you. You don’t have to deliver a stirring 17-minute speech. Sometimes just being there is enough.
Want to accomplish a big goal? Start by showing up.
The funny thing about success is that we often imagine it as one giant breakthrough. In reality, it’s usually boring. It’s Tuesday morning. The alarm goes off. You’re tired. You don’t feel particularly motivated. You show up anyway. Then you do it again Wednesday. And Thursday. Eventually, those ordinary days begin adding up to something extraordinary.
Showing up does not guarantee success. Sometimes you can show up, work hard and still get your teeth kicked in. Life has a way of doing that. But if you don’t show up, you have already guaranteed that you will not succeed.
There will always be reasons to stay home. You are tired. You are busy. You are nervous. You are not ready. The weather is bad. Your back hurts. Your favorite television show is on. Your dog looks comfortable, and you do not want to disturb him.
I understand. I have faced these excuses, too, and some of them are quite persuasive. But success rarely begins with feeling ready. It begins with being present.
So, if you are waiting until you feel ready, motivated, confident and completely prepared before you begin, you might want to sit down. Actually, don’t sit down. Get up… and show up. You don’t have to know exactly what you are doing. You don’t have to be the best person in the room. You don’t even have to remember why you walked into the room. Just be there.
Because success is rarely waiting for the most talented person. More often, it is waiting for the person who keeps showing up after so many others choose not to. And if that doesn’t work, at least you will be in the right place when opportunity finally walks through the door. You just have to show up before it does.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thank you for reading. | 
