“FIND YOUR PATH.

PLAN YOUR STEPS.

SHOW UP.

HALF-ARSE IT.

PROGRESS.”

~ me ~

I’ve been thinking lately about Showing Up.

Whether we are seeking some deep inner truth about ourselves, trying to progress on our life mission, or trying to improve our physical and mental health by changing our diet… Showing Up is required.

There are a few different viewpoints with Showing Up, even for those of us who are 100% “for” the strategy.

1. Showing Up and ‘half arsing it’ beats not showing up at all.

Building a habit of showing up 3x a week at your meditation cushion, or including that 5th vegetable into your main meal, or at minimum doing a warm-up and stretching cool-down, even if we don’t put 100% into the workout itself.

2. Showing Up means Taking Action.

Intention is only 25% of the process. Dianne Sylvan wrote about this here: that if we only show up once a month, we’re going to lose the power, the momentum, the motivation and thus the impact and outcome of that action… compared with a few times a week or even a daily practise.

3. Showing Up means we See Things Differently.

On a neurological and psychological level, if we are reminding ourselves of something regularly, our brains will actually notice things which link to those more often.

Have you ever thought about buying a new car and then you see that model EVERYWHERE?

Whatever your thoughts on the Law of Attraction or ‘positive thinking’, the science shows us that if we are AWARE of something, we notice related things more often and much easier than if we’re not on the lookout for it.

4. Showing Up is a very Personal Benchmark.

We all set our own benchmark for “success” or “enough.”

With meditation, showing up if putting the music on for 2 minutes. I sit. If I get distracted, don’t get in the zone, feel frustrated by it… I just sit through it for the 2 minutes and then tick it off as Completed.

Showing up is not about having 100% results… it’s about training our body and brain to keep taking baby steps.

5. Showing Up will Look Different Over Time, and That’s Okay.

It’s okay to Change. I cannot stress this enough.

When I began therapy, I just went every session. By the end, I was journaling more evenings in between. Nowadays I journal about once a month. All 3 actions are ‘showing up for my mental health,’ but over time, we change, our mindsets shift and our needs evolve.

When I began working out, ‘showing up’ was doing at least one ‘set’ of the exercises. Now I’ve been doing it weekly for 3 years, showing up is a minimum of 2 sets. Ideally I’d do the 3-4 (variable depending on the workout) sets suggested… but my minimum “showing up” has changed. When I struggled with my mental health, showing up was a warm up + cool down without a workout in the middle.

6. Showing Up is the biggest step. The next two are just as important.

Intention is only 25% of the formula. You need to DO THE THING. Actions are what actually show the world and affect others. That’s 50%. Then review + tweak as needed as the other 25%.



In Summary, we have three steps.

Step One: Intend to act. Plan the thing. (25%)

Step Two: Show Up. However you can, however you want to. Act. (50%)

Step Three: Review and Reflect, so you can evolve over time. (25%)



Showing up is half the battle, and it builds motivation and momentum. Showing Up is a foundational habit for any self-improvement in my life, and once I’ve got that embedded, i’ll worry about the next improvement.

How can you show up more in your life?