The Power of Showing Up

When we take care of what we love, that love circles back and takes care of us. When we show up to a creative expression we’re passionate about, it creates energy.

But if we deny ourselves or resist essential drives, our craft withers. If we don’t take risks no one, including ourselves, can ever know what we’re capable of. The lie that keeps us stuck is: only the best get to succeed. Who am I to try? When I’ve tried in the past, it blew up, and that was painful. No thank you, it’s best to retreat and forget about it.

If the longing haunts you, that’s when you know you’re letting perfectionism keep you from tolerating the mistakes necessary to getting better. Anyone who is successful doing what they love made a ton of mistakes getting there. They got better with time by not personalizing their failures.

If you keep showing up, doing your work, and asking for help, you might notice help arrives as a teacher. Even painful experiences are teachers, if you’re willing to learn from them. But if you play it safe and avoid such pain, you increase the pain of regret due to inaction and fear. That’s the toxic nature of resistance.

The trick is to tolerate the imperfect and allow flow to happen. It’s no more magical than that. If we keep showing up to what we love, long enough, we organically form a community of like-minded people, a supportive tribe.

When we engage in what we love, we grow that world. If we deny ourselves the struggle, then all paths stay dark; the energy didn’t light it up any new possibilities.

By pursuing your craft, you create more energy and creativity to feed your passion. That’s the regenerative nature of bounty, and the essence of self-care.