How do you show up? Decide.

Showing up is not all of life - but it counts for a lot. - Hillary Clinton

How do you show up?

This is the first of a four-part series on Showing Up. I hope you will show up each Friday to read my message, perhaps learn something, and definitely share your thoughts and comments. This week I am talking about making a Decision about how to show up. In the upcoming weeks we will address how to Commit, Adjust, Refine and Celebrate.

Last weekend I spent a lot of time visiting with friends, and after much discussion about relationships and expectations, I kept coming back to this question.

It is said that each person and every interaction we experience is a reflection of who we are, so how we choose to show up is extremely important.

So I want to ask: How do YOU choose to show up, to represent, so to speak?

Have you ever walked away from a situation and wished that you had handled it differently? Or, have you shown up kind of unprepared for a conversation that you had a feeling might be challenging? What about simply feeling incomplete after an encounter? What kind of person do you want to be? How do you choose to step into and live that?

I’m here to share with you that the moment that you decide how you want to show up, you will put into motion an unstoppable force for positive change. This is assuming you are willing to let go of any negative internal commentary that holds you back. You know what I’m talking about, right? That’s your inner critic working hard to sabotage your success.

Let’s say you decide that you want to feel strong, competent and self-assured, and so you decide that is how you want to show up. BUT (I’ve mentioned how much I dislike the “big BUT,” remember?), your internal dialogue goes something like this, “Yes, but...”

“The economy is bad,”

“I have never done that before,”

“So-and-so is WAY better at that than I am,”

“I need to lose weight,”

“I’m out of shape,”

...or whatever DYS (Dreaded “Yeah, But...” Syndrome) reason your inner critic is reflexively tossing at you.

Rather than resist against the inner critic, acknowledge it. Maybe even say to yourself, “I know the inner critic wants to keep me from feeling strong, competent and self-assured. I choose to show up strong, competent and self-assured anyway.” This is such a powerful choice because you are taking back your power from the inner critic, who frankly does not have your best interests and success at heart. Make the decision. The rest will fall into place.

Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever. ~ Keri Russell

So, you’ve made a decision about how you want to feel, making it easier to be yourself in each situation. When you feel good about where you are right now, you make better choices going forward.

Woody Allen once said that 80% of success is showing up. If that is true, then now is the time to Decide how that looks and feels to you. Decide now how your life looks and feels when you are fully confident in who you are and how you share your gifts with the world.

If you would like to explore and commit to how you show up, click on the contact button below and schedule a time to chat! I look forward to hearing from you

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

Next week we will dive-in to (truly) committing to this decision. Please share your comments below and share this post with your friends, loved ones or colleagues who might also enjoy reading.