As the end of summer approaches, I have started hearing stories about heading back to college. It has reminded me of a lesson that I learned in college, but I didn’t realize it would be a life lesson until just this year. What does showing up look like now as an adult? How often have I shown up for myself in my adult life?

Somewhere along the way, I have forgotten what is means to show up for myself. In a business training recently, one of my mentors discussed getting frustrated and giving up too soon. She encouraged us to keep going and stay focused on our goals. That mentor reminded us that showing up is half the battle. She shared a story about her college days and her professor’s office hours. Instantly I thought of a similar experience I had in college. It was a light bulb moment. I need to show up for myself now, in my adult life, like I did in college.

My Story

I remember a specific class that I really struggled with. It required a lot of memorization of very specific laws and I struggled with keeping it all straight. I didn’t *always* do my homework for other classes, but for that particular class, I did ALL the homework.

The professor had all the answers in his office and he told us we could come check our answers during his office hours. I was so diligent in doing the homework, checking the answers, and then figuring out where I messed up. That professor saw me often during office hours. He saw that I was showing up to do the very best that I could. I was putting in the effort to learn as much as possible and get the very best grade I could.

As we neared the end of the semester, my grades weren’t where I wanted them to be. I boldly asked my professor for any extra credit assignments to help bring up my test grades. Not only did he give me an assignment to do, but he told me that he noticed all the extra effort I was putting in. We went through some of my other grades and we came up with a target grade for the final to ensure I could get the best grade I could. Although that material was hard as can be for me, I showed up. Now I will always remember that lesson that my professor taught me.

Always show up! It may seem small and scary, but someone will notice and you never know what benefit will come of it!

Show Up. Do The Work.

That took place in college and it seemed like the obvious thing to do. Go to class, study, do homework. How does that apply to adulting? What ways do you show up in your adult journey?

Be Authentic – Show Yourself

“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”

Brene Brown, Daring Greatly

Because I love Brené Brown so much, I’ll drop another great quote of hers here: “The willingness to show up changes us, it makes us a little braver each time.”

You can inspire others just by being there, by showing up and being you. So often in our early adult lives, sometimes stemming back as far as middle school, we start wearing different masks. We wear a mask for our parents, one for our friends, one for school, and we try to figure out who others want us to be based on the new trends and social norms. We need to strip away these masks and show our authentic selves. When we show up without an agenda, genuinely interested in others and ourselves, we will have more meaningful relationships and connect on a deeper level.

Over the years, I have been told that I can be a pretty silly and bubbly person at times. I come from big families that are a bit conservative, but I think a bit silly too. At first, I thought it was a negative trait. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that laughter is healing to the soul. I love laughing, and hearing the giggles of my kids is absolutely priceless. I always kept up the show and I was silly and goofy but often wondered if people were really connecting with me. Now, I’m truly embracing my silly self and l know that there are quality people around me that enjoy that as well.

Be Intentional

My dear friend and fellow We Spot writer, Trish, often talks about creating intentional priorities and carving out intentional white space to create, have fun, and just enjoy life. She wrote a great post about reclaiming your priorities here. She has helped me become so clear on how I want my days to look and feel!

As a busy mom of three, I constantly have to be mindful of my schedule. It can get easily overtaken and overwhelmed. Once a week, I have to sit down with my calendar and look at what I want to accomplish that week. This is part of how I show up for myself intentionally. Recently I’ve started time blocking to help with that intentionality piece. These are my priorities and these are the tasks around those priorities.

Don’t give up! Keep going! Keep showing up!