Showing up is by itself a skill. Whatever happens putting up a game face again and getting back up needs another level of courage. Showing up can be termed in many forms. It could be consistency, perseverance, regularity, reliability, uniformity, continuity, we can keep going with ‘n’ number of other terms. All these mean the same, keep showing up! A large part of our success comes from just showing up.
No matter what generation we come from, we humans have this one amazing skill of not giving up rather we have been known for showing up! This skill plays a major role in our everyday life. To me, consistency is more important than perfection. Being consistent is not a choice but it should be a life skill. When this becomes our habit then winning becomes our streak.
We will all have that one instance in our lives when we showed up despite the huge urge to give up and settle our minds that this was not meant for us. But we did not! That talks a lot about our character! Given a chance, we will all have a testimony to share where not giving up that one day made us who we are today. When we look back we can see how far we have come since then.
It takes a lot of courage to show up when we could have easily given up. When we do that, it gives us the space to explore and grow, try new methods, learn new ways, be creative, take risks we would have never tried otherwise and be brave in making choices because we did not have any other option but to show up and see how things turn out.
To me personally, I have had various instances where being consistent and showing up was all I could do after trying my hands on everything. One instance always is close to me and taught me what being consistent can give us!
This was during my earlier days where I was handling hiring for a very big client of mine. This particular position was open for a very long time because we were not able to find the right fit. Either the candidate would reject after getting the offer or the client team from the onsite would not give a go ahead after the candidate clearing multiple rounds. We were stuck in a position where we did not know what to do. I was at the verge of giving up because for this role we have exhausted the market and I had no clue where to look any further for options. I was about to draft an email and send to the client about backing out of the process but was still not ready, there was still a small nudge inside me to try!
So I did what I was left with, I showed up the next day to work for the same role that had been open for 2 months already and tried again. I did not hit the jackpot immediately but kept trying new ways and means to reach out to anyone I might have missed earlier. This gave me a chance to create a network with this particular skilled group. I kept showing up everyday, I was consistent, I got a good hold of what this market is about and where to tap for the right talent. And eureka! it worked out finally. We found the right candidate, both the client and the candidate were super happy in finding the right match and role, respectively. The highest accreditation came when the Director-HR of that particular client personally sent an appreciation note on getting them the right resource and for being consistent in working out different ways to close the role. Our company went on to become the best vendor and I was awarded the best performer.
This is what consistency and showing up regularly does! It makes you the best!
The famous John C Maxwell says, “Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That's the Law of Consistency. It doesn't matter how talented you are. It doesn't matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key”.
Keep showing up, keep being consistent, let it become our super-power.It transforms average into achievement, doubts into delights. Small consistent actions derive big results. There is nothing more attractive than a person who is consistent in their work. And remember, success is not always about greatness but it's in consistency and in showing up no matter what.
When life pulls you down,get back up and just show up, I promise you will become the best version of yourself!
About the Author
Shalini Solomon comes with close to 15 years of industry experience in the Human Resources space. She is currently designated as Head – People and Values with Kazh Fintech Private Limited. She likes to interact with people and makes sure they have the space to grow and learn and are free to work without any pressure. People first is always her approach. She holds an Engineering degree in Computer Science.