You Agreed To Show Up

Lurking in the shadows of our lives is a fear—and a resistance—to showing up.

And yet, since we are here on earth, we agreed to show up.

Not just as a person that takes up space, or lives life as something to endure, but showing up to the something that you, and only you, are here to do.

I know, you might tell me that you don’t know why you showed up or what you are supposed to do now that you are here, and I have to disagree as politely as possible. If you are a reader or a listener to my blogs, books, or podcasts, or others like these, then I know that you already know.

Maybe you are not admitting it yet, afraid of what that might mean, or what you will have to do, but you know somewhere inside of you what it is.

At this moment, there is something you are thinking of doing and are not.

How do I know? Because no matter how present we are in the world, in our lives, there is always more for us to do. Why am I so sure about that? Because we are (still) here.

Nor do I mean show up in big ways like be the president of a country. Very few of us showed up to do that. No, most of us have shown up to be like a rock thrown into the lake. We are here to let our actions and words be concentric circles that impact the world and the people around us: in a good way.

Because—if I may digress for a moment—if someone is showing up as greed, hate, revenge, or the desire to have power over others, that’s not showing up.

Although there is a theory that they showed up that way for the rest of us to learn from and we certainly can, I think that somewhere along the way, they became afraid that who they are isn’t enough, so they had to be more significant in the world, take instead of giving. Perhaps they unconsciously thought that would take care of the showing up stuff. It doesn’t. But that’s another story.

For the rest of us, the ones who want to do good in the world, our showing up takes many different forms and changes as our lives move on.

I wrote my first blog in 1998. (Yes, I’m a nerd.) The writing has it’s own trials, but the pressing of the button to put it out into the world terrified me every time. For years. I still have varying degrees of fear attacks when I publish a blog, a book, a podcast, or teach a class, after all this time. But most of the time, I no longer let it keep me from showing up.

We are supposed to show up. Show our faces. Speak our minds. Be with people. Form communities. Walk our lives path together.

Speaking up has been a lesson I have had to learn, too. When I went to college, I made sure I never took a class where I had to speak. In one class where the teacher told us that our grade had a component on how much we spoke up in class, I begged him to let me write an extra paper because I couldn’t do it. He kindly agreed.

But somewhere along the way, I started getting more passionate about what I felt I was supposed to say, then my fear of what would happen if I said it. Slowly. But now when I feel that lurking fear monster telling me not to show myself, not help, not speak, not write, I ignore it for the most part. However, when that still, small voice prods me to put myself out into the world more, that fear shows up again.

Sometimes fear, resistance, keeps me from doing things for days, weeks, maybe years until I take some action to prove to that lurking fear monster that I am going to do it. Fear or not.

Feel the fear, and do it anyway, right?

I know that everyone has a desire to share something. To show up. So choose a way that you can manage right now, and do it. Then expand into something else. Get help, read books, form a mastermind, join an ongoing community.

But do it.

Because we all are waiting for you, the world needs every voice, every expression, every way to love, every way to share. Each of us is unique in how we show up., But for the tapestry of life to be complete, it takes all of us weaving together our glorious and diverse gifts.

Sometimes we need to show up to right injustices, big and small. Other times it is to share our creative expression, or love, or share kindness, be generous, be a leader, speak words that heal, and give hugs when needed.

There are many ways to show up, and how you do it will be all yours.

Remember that showing up also involves the practice of saying yes to only what you can show up for and no to what you can’t.

However, as we each show up in the ways we are inner-directed to do, it will leave less and less room for anything other than love, kindness, and beauty to be present in the world. We agreed to show up, let’s do it.

Let me know how you are showing up, I’d love to hear, and if I can help, let me know.