Show up

Showing up matters. Showing up is a critical component of being successful in life and work. Showing up has many components and can be seen both literally and in a symbolic way of speaking.

You can show up in person, with your presence, with the tools you have available to make yourself ‘heard’. And you can show up in the mind, being virtually present, as a consequence of your personality and your actions.

For people like me who are not the world’s most extroverted individuals, showing up is not always an easy concept. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an introvert either.

I get energy both from settings where I’m part of a group and settings where I’m on my own. But too much of either one and the need for the other setting becomes needed.

For example, when I’m facilitating a group for two days, I know now that I need time for myself afterward to recharge my batteries. Likewise, too much time by myself, and I start looking for social environments.

You can’t be successful without showing up.

You need to show people who you are. Obviously, that all depends on the ambitions, you have in life. If you have no personal or professional aspirations and basically prefer to be on your own, showing up may be less of an issue.

But if you’re an average human being with normal ambitions, looking to make something out of your life, you will need to show up. That’s why it’s one of my principles of success in life and work.

Becoming aware of yourself means you understand the importance of the concept of showing up and how you show up.

You will need to build a presence for yourself both in person and virtually.

To do that successfully, you will need to know what you stand for and find the right balance. Showing up is only successful when you can do so authentically.

Because you can also show-up too much.

We all have been around people who believe the only way to be successful is to dominate every social encounter they are part of. Unfortunately, they sometimes are successful in environments where only the loudest voices get heard.

My experience with the ‘loudest get heard’ cultures is that those who dominate are often not authentic. They use their dominance to hide something else, mostly insecurity at a deeper level and the fear that they’re not seen as capable if they don’t show how much they know. Showing up that way does not result in an engaged and authentic culture.

There are many ways to determine whether you show up doing it right, too little, or too much. Make sure you understand the signals. People may not tell you directly if you do it right. So if you’re not sure, you need to ask. And by the way they answer, you’ll know whether they’re sincere or not.

Show up and do so authentically. Make a presence for yourself. Make sure people know about you. But do it the way you’re comfortable with. So that people see and hear you the way you are.

Your turn: How do you show up? What do other people experience? Do you know?

Erikjan