Showing up. It may not seem like much, but it’s actually the majority of what you need for success. Don’t believe that? The common thought is that 80% of success is showing up. That’s over three-quarters of what you need to succeed.
The thing is, the more often you show up, the greater your odds that you will reach success. In fact, failure only happens when you quit—or in other words, don’t show up. Every single time you show up, that is another step towards success. It’s making progress, continuing forward, moving towards your goal.
Just like everything in life, building strong and powerful habits is essential when you’re trying to reach a certain destination. Showing up is one of those habits. It’s the core that you need to make progress and live the life you’re dreaming of.
What Does Showing Up Mean?
When you show up, you’re there. Essentially, that simply means that you’re present, you’re available, you’re there and you’re ready for action. It means you’re committed to doing what you need to do and becoming the best version of yourself. Every time you show up, you are there with a commitment to the things that are important.
As a sales rep, you might show up with a renewed mindset, ready to step up, take the initiative, and grow. This could mean that you recommit yourself to following up on interest with potential merchants, or dedicating yourself to continually increasing your knowledge of the industry and the products you offer.
When you show up for yourself, you are making a commitment to working towards your goals and bettering yourself. You become mindful in your life, intentionally choosing what you let in and what you pursue. Showing up for yourself is a process of becoming, mentally and physically. It’s something you do every single day as you embark on the path of becoming your very best self.
As you start to show up everyday, it’s important to keep in mind that growth and change take time. It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re making an effort on a daily basis but you’re not immediately seeing the fruitage of that effort. However, the results will come. When you take things one day at a time, moment by moment, step by step, you are making progress and you will reach success, even if it takes time.
Benefits of Showing Up
When you commit to showing up every day, you are committing to the creation of a better life and a better you. While progress can be slow-going, the process itself—along with the reaching of goals—provides the ultimate benefits. By making this commitment and actually following through, you will see a number of positive outcomes in your life.
Better Performance
When you show up, you are focused and determined. Whatever task you have before you will be done fully and completely. Whether it’s a work task, a relationship task, or a personal task, you will give your all to it. Overall, your motivation is to be present and focused, working hard at whatever is before you. That means you won’t be overwhelmed by the need to reach a certain goal by a certain time, you will be at peace as you focus on simply being and doing.
When you feel less stress and you don’t feel under the gun, you will be free to give your all and perform better. Instead of worrying about the results, your attention will be on what you are doing at any given moment, enabling you to put your full energy into it. This will lead to a much better performance and greater success.
Move Forward with Ease After Setbacks
No matter what you’re working on, there will always be hiccups and setbacks. Things come up, mistakes are made, and walls appear. Setbacks are a normal part of any project, but it’s how people deal with them that counts. When you’re focused on quickly reaching one goal, setbacks can become a huge issue. They can feel massive and cause a great deal of panic.
However, when you’re dedicated to showing up, setbacks don’t matter. You let them come, you get over them, and you move forward. For those who are showing up, setbacks are just another basic part of pursuing any goal or making any changes. You pick yourself up and keep on going.
You Create More Opportunities
Showing up consistently allows you to be in the right place at the right time. Being where you need to be means that you are available for opportunities when they arise. Showing up ensures that you’re there for new business opportunities, new clients, new experiences, and new relationships.
It helps to make you ready and open for things that you would miss if you weren’t showing up. The more opportunities you have, the more successful you will be, and the further you will move towards your goals.
Build New, Effective Habits
In the book Atomic Habits, the author, James Clear, says that creating new habits requires you to work on your identity. Essentially, when you show up in your efforts to create a habit, you are helping to build your identity. You’re focused on who you want to be instead of who you have been. You’re focused on the change you want to create in your life instead of the ways you have been previously.
As you work on habits, such as sending emails, having family dinner, or meditation and mindfulness, you are casting your vote towards becoming a successful businessperson, a present parent, or a calm and in-tune human being.
Your choices shape your character. They shape your opportunities. They shape your ability to reach your goals. Everything that you intentionally choose to do is an intentional step towards your success. It’s not about perfection, it’s about presence.
Every step that you take towards building a chosen habit brings you closer to shaping your life. Whenever you feel like missing or skipping something, make the decision to show up; even if it’s just for a minute. The more you say yes and show up, even when you don’t feel like it, the more your new habits merge into your identity.
Showing up makes you more you than you’ve ever been. It helps you move towards your goals and towards success. By showing up, you are saying, I’m ready to step into my future, I’m ready to take my life into my hands.
Increase your odds of success by showing up every single day. Don’t leave your success to chance. This is your one life. It’s time to show up for it.