Last week, on valentines day actually, I wound up working through the night with a client on a proposal with an impossible deadline. I didn’t know that was going to happen. Well, I had ample warning from Friday that this was how Sunday was going to go down, but I thought I’d be back home by evening time, with enough time to prep for my Monday 10am meeting.
I got home at 6am, and yes we made our deadline. Took a quick shower, made a cup of coffee and sat down to continue at it. No dice. Couldn’t even put two thoughts together. Shit. Now I’m thinking to myself, I really wish I could prep properly the way I want to for this meeting but I can’t. Ah fuck it, might as well nap a bit and hopefully I get enough juice to bullshit my way through.
I sleep till 9:30am, get up and make my way out into the world. All the while contemplating the delicious idea of going awol and staying in to sleep anyway. Agh, I gave my word and my team is depending on me. So I go, and I show up. I show up, not just physically, but I show up, I bring the best I can to the table. In my sleep addled state, I engage and do my best, and it goes alright. Successful meeting.
Now this might all read as a humble brag or whatever, and I have not always been this conscientious, but I’ve gotten okay at being consistent at it so far. My point is, sometimes you might want to hold back, skip out on things, especially uncomfortable things out of fear, or fatigue, or just not being in the mood. But show up anyway. Some times, that’s all you gotta do. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to have it all together, you just have to show up. Time and again. It’s the best way to make things happen for you.
