“The willingness to show up changes us. It makes us a little braver each time.”
-Brene Brown
Sometimes what you are working so hard for is not as distant as it may seem. What if it’s a lot closer than you think? What if a week, month, five months, a year from now you are able to reach what you’ve been working so hard for? What if your ability to keep showing up and putting in the work is the only thing standing in between your dreams coming true?
A huge part of being successful at anything is consistently showing up. Day after day the small habits are a major part of what’s creating your future. It’s easy to set a goal, but the only guarantee for you being able to reach it is by working at it every single day. Think about one small good habit that you do everyday and the value that it adds to your life. What would happen if you do one small thing to work towards your goals everyday?
I remember my time working as an independent living skills coach for a mental health organization, I made a commitment to always show up early for every appointment and be fully prepared. I knew the value I would be able to bring to the lives of the youth I worked with and how consistency was a huge part of developing a great relationship and really making a difference. So I remember arriving to an appointment with a teenaged girl who I worked with and she greeted me with such a huge smile and said something to me the I would never forget. She said, “I have never had anyone show up for me like you have shown up for me and believed in me, you make me feel like I can really do anything if I really work at it.” That made me smile so big, because I really have a passion for seeing people who want to give up develop the courage and hope to keep going.
A few months after that encounter I was offered a supervisors position and was able to lead a team full of people with the same heart and passion to see lives change. One of the things I think that helped me so much during that time was my willingness to keep showing up and bringing my best. There were times where I was tired and even times where I really didn’t want to show up, but I knew that showing up was such an important part of seeing change. If I would have given in every time I was tired I would have never gotten as far as I did.
I’ve been seeing the difference that just showing up has been making in my life currently. A few weeks ago, which really feels like an eternity ago my daughter was diagnosed with Atypical Neuroaxonal Dystrophy, which is a very rare genetic disorder that causes neuordegeneration and regression. As heart breaking as it is, I know that showing up everyday and focusing on the controllable can help make a huge difference. Keeping her engaged in learning and physically active has been our goal everyday. We do homeschool every morning and exercise on her adaptive bike everyday. We’ve noticed a huge regression in her walking over these last few months where she is not fully walking at all without assistance but biking for twenty minutes everyday, stretching, and keep her active in her walker has really made a big difference. Imagine what would happen overtime as we keep showing up? The small improvements that she’s making everyday keeps us hopeful and prayerful that she will defy the odds of this disorder.
These personal experiences have taught me that there is so much power in showing up and being prepared. When you show up you are not only impacting your life but even the lives of the people around you. When you wake up every morning and show up for work, or for you kids or family you are truly making a difference. It’s not always easy to see the difference you are making and at times you may feel like the work you do is not really appreciate. But, I want to encourage you to keep showing up!
One day what you are working and believing so hard for will happen. Think about the things you’ve worked so hard for in the past that you were able to see accomplished. If it happened in the past it can surely happen again, if you don’t give up! I hope this really encourages you. Don’t give up, in due season what you’ve been working so hard for will happen. Thanks for reading!
What has showing up everyday help you to obtain? What’s one thing you are believing to see happen soon? Would love to hear your story, please comment below.
Intentional Hope 