We’re constantly sold the idea of the dramatic, life-changing breakthrough, but the reality is that a successful life, however that looks for you, is all about consistency.
Without it, you will struggle to build anything long-term. Success is rarely found in individual spurts and random circumstances. Instead, success is something that you build one step at a time. To do that, you have to “show up.”
“Showing up” doesn’t just mean physical presence. It’s also a metaphor that means that you “show up” by doing the work that’s needed to reach your goal. It applies in many situations, and the following are some in which showing up will have far more impact than you realize.
1. When it comes to the small choices that could move your mental and emotional health forward.
Mental health recovery is full of inspirational stories of people overcoming the odds. We tend to focus on these stories because they are a clear signal that there is hope.
Plus, everyone loves a good story. They want to walk away from it feeling inspired, like they can attain it, too.
But that isn’t necessarily the best way to go about improving your mental health.
As someone with Bipolar Disorder and severe depression, much of my success in my own recovery is down to making better choices every day.
I choose not to indulge and swim in the dark thoughts when I have them. I acknowledge them, and then I let them go. I choose to do healthier things, limit stress, sleep more consistently, and take my meds.
None of these things are glamorous, but they are essential. They are the step-by-step ways I have to show up each day to do regularly to maintain my mental health.
2. When it comes to the unglamorous habits that make your body stronger over time.
Much like mental health, improving your physical health comes down to making small, healthier choices every day.
It’s deciding to take that 15-minute walk when you really don’t feel like it, or abstaining from donuts for breakfast even though you really want them. It’s going to your doctor for regular checkups so they can spot problems before they become problems.
Everyone has the power to make these kinds of gains, but it’s not something you can do just once. It’s a process that needs a little effort put toward it every day, as much as you can. It all adds up in the long run.
But you also don’t need to be 100% perfect either.
Instead, if you can get it right more often than not, you’ll make progress.
Personally, I’ve struggled with emotional eating as a maladaptive coping skill for my mental illness and depression. I still don’t get it right 100% of the time, but I get it right more often than not, and it’s helped me control my emotional eating and improved my physical health.
3. When it comes to building and sustaining relationships, even though it’s boring.
Trusting, loving relationships don’t just happen overnight. We have to show up every day to make a relationship work. We have to show up when it’s boring or difficult, as well as when it’s going well.
But as human beings, we love a good story.
We love the idea of love at first sight, of meeting someone and just having vibrant chemistry. So many people are looking for the anxious, nervous reaction of butterflies in their stomach.
What these folks miss out on is the potential for deep, rewarding relationships that aren’t based on random circumstances.
You can build a relationship day by day by showing up with intention. Sure, some chemistry does need to be there, but anyone who’s experienced with relationships will tell you that chemistry is nowhere near as important as we make it out to be.
Chemistry does not mean that person will make a good long-term partner. You may want entirely different things out of life. You may be incompatible about how you view the world, and that’s okay. It just means that person isn’t right for a relationship.
4. When it comes to creating art, even if inspiration hasn’t show up.
As a writer myself, one of the most common questions I get is, “How do you find inspiration to write?”
The answer is – I don’t.
What I do is write multiple days a week and read regularly, whether I feel like it or not.
People love the romantic idea of “being a writer” with their laptop at the local coffee shop for the ambiance. But the romanticization rarely reflects the reality, as is the case in basically all creative pursuits.
You don’t see the hours of work that never see the light of day. I’ve written things for fun, to test myself, to work on honing a particular style – and none of those things will see the light of day.
I show up, and I practice my craft.
Art and creative endeavors are all skills that you need to practice regularly to develop. There is no other way to become better without putting in the work.
Sure, a person can have raw talent, but raw talent isn’t going to stack up against someone with raw talent AND 10,000 hours of work on their craft.
You have to show up every day and practice, practice, practice.
5. When it comes to building the financial stability you’re hoping for.
Times are hard for a lot of folks. Job pay just doesn’t keep up with the cost of living and inflation that’s happening around the world. But there is power in showing up every day by making small choices to build your finances.
Retirement savings are a great example. There are retirement accounts that offer compounding interest over time. Meaning, a small investment when you first enter the workforce can turn into much, much more money by the time you’re ready to retire.
Of course, it’d be nice to get a big windfall, but these individual moments where we choose to set aside just a little, limit our spending, or live beneath our means all contribute to good financial health.
6. When it comes to sustaining your faith or spiritual connection.
The benefits of a spiritual life don’t tend to come in intense revelations, despite what we’re led to believe.
Again, it makes for a good story, but it’s not the reality of what it takes to cultivate spirituality within yourself. Instead, it’s about showing up and making the small decisions that align with your beliefs.
It doesn’t matter what that belief system is; you need to “show up” every day.
Maybe it’s attending church, praying, fasting, or just choosing to be a little kinder to the people around you.
In many spiritual disciplines and religions, it’s often said that regular quiet is how to connect to the divine through things like meditation and prayer. And regular, daily practice can lead to more happiness and peace of mind.
7. When it comes to building a successful community.
Building a community is often the result of long-term, consistent work. There’s a lot of small things you need to do to make sure the wheels stay greased and moving in the right direction. It might be doing things like regularly scheduling events, taking proactive steps to find more people, or fixing problems that might come up.
Much like in personal relationships, trust and camaraderie are built through regular effort by showing up. It proves you’re a reliable person who can be counted on, which will cause other people to want to include you. After all, few people are going to take a chance on someone who flakes out regularly.
8. When it comes to overcoming your fear and anxiety.
Courage is not the absence of fear. Instead, courage is confronting your fear and doing what you need to do, anyway.
It’s incredibly uncomfortable at first because we’re often expecting the worst, and we may be unfamiliar with the thing we’re facing. A lack of familiarity is often a cause for concern if you don’t learn to embrace the unfamiliar with a sense of curiosity.
Still, repeatedly exposing yourself to the things that make you afraid or that intimidate you can help you get the anxiety and fear under control. When it comes to fear, gentle, repeated exposure builds tolerance, especially when you see that your mind is usually far more anxious and fearful than a situation demands. Showing up, even when you’re afraid, is how you do that.
9. When it comes to creating meaning and purpose in your life.
I’ve always disliked the idea of “finding” meaning and purpose. It implies that we are helpless to create meaning and purpose. It implies that we are just supposed to randomly stumble around or wait for purpose to be delivered to us on a silver platter.
That certainly does happen, but why would you wait for it?
Why not create meaning and purpose? It’s far easier than people make it out to be. Do volunteer work, help out a neighbor, or do something to contribute to the betterment of other people.
What you will find is that you can take pride in the work that you actually do rather than waiting around for fate to deliver it.
Finding meaning and purpose in life is often as much about showing up to engage in it as it is anything else.
In closing…
As you can see, showing up regularly will benefit you in about any area of life that you choose to engage in. There’s nothing more important than showing up, whether that’s being physically present or having a willingness to do the work that needs to be done to reach your goals.
Don’t sit around and wait for it to come to you. Life isn’t a movie. Storytelling moments are nice and inspirational, but they rarely reflect the reality for the majority of people. Most success is built on the small moments where we show up and choose to engage with life.
