500+ for 50 – day 30: show up

Today I was listening to one of my favorite motivational speakers, Eric Thomas, give a talk on the three principles of success.  I won’t go into detail about each of them, but I did want to address his very first and supremely critical step.  “You’ve got to show up.” This notion really hit home with me this afternoon.  Because honestly I was having one of those days where I could feel the devil relentlessly poking at me, presenting doubt and worry to my mind and serving me an appetizer of anxiety with the hope that I might be willing to take his bait and stay for the whole meal.  I could have very easily forfeited a portion of my progress today.  But I knew that I needed to keep moving.  After all, I have committed to showing up, every day – no excuses.  So I took a little inspiration from Eric’s message and pushed forward with the mission to win today.

We’re all going to have days that challenge us.  When you’ve spent the majority of your lifetime conditioning your mind and body to accept defeat and respond to urges to retreat to comfort, it’s going to take the activation of a relentless will to promote the development of your new way of living.  There are going to be mornings when you will wake up and life will hit you like a ton of bricks.  But no matter the adversity that’s put on your plate, if you want to be successful, you’ve got to continue to show up.  It’s not likely that within any particular day you will realize all of your dreams due to the actions that you take, but your commitment to excellence will create the habits necessary to continue to lead you forward on your path to personal growth.  Success is the byproduct of doing the small things well, day in and day out.

I think many of us feel overwhelmed at times by the size and scope of our dreams.  How can we possibly reach the final destination that we have in our sights?  It can be a bit intimidating.  And if you try and overanalyze the process, you will paralyze your efforts.  On days that we are directly challenged with doubts, fears, pain, you name it – our mind will be bombarded with the type of limited thinking that will seek to stop us dead in our tracks.  We are vulnerable in these moments, and we need to recognize that.  One wrong step or poor decision based upon the emotionally triggered negativity seeking to pollute our efforts could be enough to set us off course indefinitely.  In those periods when we are challenged to give in to our doubts and fears, our willingness to show up becomes more important than ever. 

We don’t need to knock it out of the park each and every day.  We simply need to commit to the direction of our journey and stick with it.  One step at a time.  Take the actions that will lead to the habits that ensure success.  Forget about how far it may seem you still have to go.  Don’t allow yourself to ever get discouraged.  God has a plan for where He is leading you.  And you don’t need to know how you’re going to get there.  You just need to show up, bringing the best of what you have to the table each and every day with your eyes focused on the prize, and He will take care of the rest.

A few weeks ago the head pastor at our church preached an amazing sermon on Jesus feeding the five thousand.  In the Gospel of John, Chapter Six the story mentions a small boy who brings an offering of five small barley loaves and two small fish to Christ and his disciples.  Jesus takes the boy’s offering, gives thanks, and moments later miraculously the disciples are able to feed the entire massive crowd among them.  When it was all said and done, twelve additional baskets of food remained.  God created abundance out of the simple offering from that young boy.  The moral of the story is that if we simply show up, bringing what little we may have to offer to the table, God is willing and able to create the unthinkable in our lives.  Impossible is nothing.  We just need to be present in order for His miracles to manifest themselves.

Running has become a great passion of mine.  I truly love it because it’s an excellent way for me to keep healthy and to push the limits of my mind and body.  Some days when I run, it’s absolutely effortless – the wind is at my back.  Other days, my legs and back ache, leaving my mind racing with doubts about my ability to show up for that evening’s workout.  On those nights, the run can feel like a real grind.  But it’s all worth it because I know that when I’m finished I will feel wonderful about what I’ve accomplished.  Because I will have overcome a conditioned mind that I know has just made a determined effort to limit me.  And I will have won the day.  One step at a time I will have inched my way closer to greatness. 

I’m simply doing my part and waiting on God’s miracle to fulfill the rest.  And I will be there on the day that He is ready for me – I will show up.  I hope that you will commit to being there, too.

May God Bless!