Just show up. Sounds simple, right? Yet somehow, it’s the hardest thing to do. Ever notice how your brain is a certified liar? Like, it convinces you that if you’re not doing something grand, earth-shattering, or Instagram-worthy, then what’s the point? Lies. Absolute lies. So you work out for a week and yo still don't look anything close to Dwayne Johnson and so you stop. You start a business it operates for a whole TWO months but it's still not performing at the level of Amazon so you call it quits.
But here’s the truth: it doesn’t matter if you’re doing it small, messy, or even badly. What matters is that you do it at all. Meh...well hear me out. Zechariah 4:10, says, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." (NLT). You hear that? REJOICES. Not judges. Not rolls His divine eyes. He celebrates the act of starting. Not even starting BIG, but specifically small beginnings.
Here’s the thing, even Moses had stage fright before he led a whole nation. Even David was a shepherd before he was a king. Even Jesus started as a carpenter before, you know… the whole Saviour of the World thing. The pattern? Small steps. Showing up even when it looks unimpressive.
Which brings me to my alarm clock. I set it for 3 AM, convinced I’d wake up and conquer the world. Guess who snoozed it five times? (Me. The answer is me.) But then I remembered: showing up isn’t about being perfect. It’s about starting. So, I rolled out of bed at 5:27 AM instead. Late? Yes. But I still showed up. Disappointed? A lil bit yes but I'm still writing.
Science Says Showing Up Works (Even If You Suck at First)
There’s this study by Dr. Robert Bjork (fancy cognitive scientist, not the singer) about "desirable difficulties." Basically, struggling at something actually makes you better at it. Yes, even if you look like a disaster in the process.
Just think about one thing that you first learnt to do. It could be playing Fifa, driving, typing with 2 hands, swimming, uhm I'm running out of examples just think of anything. How was it? It sucked right, I mean you sucked! Absolute chaos. Hands gripping the wheel like your life depended on it (because it did). And now? You can probably eat a sandwich while changing lanes (don’t, though). That’s because you KEPT SHOWING UP.
James Clear, in Atomic Habits, talks about the "Two-Minute Rule" if you can’t do the whole thing, do a tiny version of it. Want to write a book? Just write one sentence a day. Want to get fit? Just do one push-up. It’s the showing up that matters.
Your Life Isn’t a Montage
I hate to break it to you, but life isn’t a movie montage. There’s no dramatic background music, no fast-forwarding through the boring bits. It’s just you, your effort, and the painfully slow progress of becoming good at something.
J.K. Rowling got rejected 12 times before Harry Potter became a thing. Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team. Even Beyoncé probably had off days (I refuse to believe this, but let’s pretend).
What did they all do? They kept showing up.
So What Now?
Now, you go do the thing. Maybe it’s writing. Maybe it’s running. Maybe it’s quitting your job (or learning to love it because rent is still a thing). Maybe it’s waking up five minutes earlier and resisting the snooze button.
You don’t have to be the best. You don’t even have to be good. You just have to do it. Because showing up, even in the smallest way, is the difference between dreams and reality.
And if you need a sign? This is it. Go. Do. Show up.
Because This is what we Do Now !
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