SHOWING UP

Again it was one of those weeks where I started writing my post and half way through writing I changed topics.  I will save the other one for another week.    

Last week I wrote about a group of awesome athletes.  For the last 2 years at Life Fitness every Wednesday at lunch we would get together and do a Tabata style High Intensity Interval class.  Each week I would show up for what they affectionately called the “Evil Workout.”  They would endure my music choices ranging from 90’s pop including M.C. Hammer to music of questionable content, but in my mind it was all motivating.  They would listen to me sing and they endured my stories, which included many sarcastic comments. 

I received an email early this week from one of those amazing athletes who SHOWED UP every week and worked hard.  His name is Andy and in the last year he went from living a rather sedentary life to learning how to swim (he just swam his first open water swim), and plans to start biking this fall which will all lead up to his first triathlon next year.  I want to share what he wrote, “In retrospect your workouts were pretty influential in kicking my butt into gear.  I’m a believer that one of the most important things in life is simply just showing up.  Seeing where I was and where I am now shows how important it is to show up every week.  Looking forward to when we can do workouts together again.”  I didn’t do anything but SHOW UP each week and workout, but because I SHOWED UP Andy learned how to push himself and then he started SHOWING UP at the pool and SHOWING UP at group runs and as the year goes on he’ll continue to SHOW UP places last year he wasn’t sure he would.     

What that group doesn’t realize, is each week they SHOWED UP and each week they all pushed me.  I would never tell them this in class (although they know now since I know they’re reading), many times they pushed me to do things I didn’t want to do.  I would write workouts I would never do by myself, but I knew I would if I was standing in front of a class.  To prove to them it’s true, I didn’t do a burpee or a push up for almost a month after I left.  Only in the last few weeks have I started again.  I’ve started writing workouts again and I do them on Monday mornings before work.  I am forced to do them in a super nasty gym, my hands are black from touching the floor, but I still do them.  I SHOW UP!   – I will mention I have not done a wall sit since I left.  I will start this coming Monday, I promise to SHOW UP! 

 I’m not there to SHOW UP, but I try to SHOW UP in my own way.  I send workouts back to class.  I SHOW UP and do my workouts by myself.  Further, I SHOW UP each day by calling home.  Yesterday I just watched Timyra play and I felt like I was home even if it was for only 10 minutes.  I think everyone at home would say I SHOW UP in Taylyn every day.  She’s a feisty little pistol who does things her way.  They say she’s evening looking more like her mom every day.  I SHOW UP in TJ who has adapted to paperwork.  He just registered the kids for all their fall and winter activities.  I SHOW UP in my mom, I mean my kids call me Grandma-mom now.  She’s a good substitute and is certainly SHOWING UP every day and loving my babies.

 

Right now I may be a JANR, but I SHOW UP.  I SHOW UP every day and I do my job.  This last week I even showed a few Army folks I can do more than just SHOW UP, but they never would have known unless I had SHOWN UP.  

SHOWING UP is the hardest and easiest part of anything.  Think about it, what didn’t show up for that you could have.  Was it a workout, signing up for a class, visiting a friend or family member or simply not doing something you knew you should?  Remember the first step to anything is just SHOWING UP.  Everything else will eventually fall into place.  You never know when you decide to SHOW UP who’s live you are changing and in return you are changing yourself.  When you start to SHOW UP you start to SHOW UP in other people too and that is a really cool thing.  I want to know where you are going to start SHOWING UP.  JUST SHOWING UP could be the start of something great, don’t miss out DO by SHOWING UP!