You Need to Do More Than Just Show Up

13 April, 2023

Showing up. I’m sure you’ve heard people say that showing up is a huge part of succeeding — whether in your career or with a project or a goal. While I agree that showing up is important, I don’t think it’s the most important factor for success.

You can show up and still go through the motions. You can show up and not be ready to get the job done.

You need to do more than just show up.

You need to be passionate about what you do or what you want to do. If you don’t have that passion, what you’re doing will just be a job. It’ll be a chore. It’ll be a task. What you do or want to do must be more than that.

You need to be engaged. Passion is only the start. Passion alone isn’t enough. Without engagement, your passion can quickly fizzle out. Engagement keeps the fires of your passion burning. That’s not to say that your level of engagement can’t or won’t wax and wane, but it will help keep you going when things get tough.

You need the right mindset. That mindset? To stick with what you’re doing until that end, regardless of the obstacles that you encounter. Call it mental toughness or perseverance or the will to win. Whatever tag you slap on it, that mindset is the guiding hand that keeps your passion and engagement on track.

Finally, you need a support system. And I’m not talking about cheerleaders. I’m talking about friends or colleagues. A mentor or coach. Someone to whom you can turn for advice, answers, reassurance, or help. Someone who won’t judge you, who will have an open mind, who can offer insights or points of view that veer slightly away from yours.

If you show up with all that, you’ll have a better chance of succeeding. At whatever you’re trying to do.

Scott Nesbitt