Embrace Your Destiny: Just Show Up

Practicing my contest speech 

"Just show up". This was the mantra of my friend Cozy I met at Capital YMCA in Raleigh, NC. Daughter Liz was one of his groupies. She worked out with him late in the afternoons and vouched for his authenticity and integrity. I was a novice to weight training but wanted to learn about it. He became my volunteer physical trainer. He instructed me what to do for each muscle group and monitored how I did it. I learned a lot from Cozy about the technical aspects of physical training, but probably the most important lesson I learned was to just show up. 

Over the past 20 years, I've worked the power of "just show up". For example, by committing to piano practice everyday I actually did a recital this spring. I have concluded that only I can do what I need to do to keep moving. For me, I think daily hot yoga, piano practice, and weight training is working. My efforts with public speaking and blogging are regular but not daily.  I think it is no coincidence that seeing improvement in my MS symptoms is directly linked to showing up - at the yoga studio, the gym, at Toastmasters, at my piano at at my computer.

Practicing strength training

In my professional career, I have observed participation behavior in youth and adult groups, professional organizations, and community organizations like gyms and churches. What I have observed is a typical pattern of participation. 

In the beginning there is enthusiasm, dedication and regular attendance. Depending on the group and how challenging the expectations for attendance are, there comes a point when something changes. Maybe the practice gets too hard, boring or inconvenient. That's the point where excuses creep in. The idea of just skipping one day stretches into two day and then a week. Sometimes a break in participation comes because of injury, illness, vacation or a move. 

At this point, dropping out is real easy. I've seen this phenomenon happen at the gym sometime in February when New Year's Resolutions get old. In hot yoga, the time is often shorter. Sometimes it occurs after the Introductory package is completed. At Hot Yoga Asheville, the introductory package is 30 days for $30 which gives newbies a better feel for merits of the practice. 

Think about it!  The hard part of "just show up" is getting ready to walk out the door. Just this morning my hot yoga teacher mentioned during the first Sevasana that the hard part is over. Once we get into class all we have to do is listen, do and reap the benefits. 

If showing up is the first step, the goal may be to form a habit. The prevailing thinking has been 21 days would do the job. Apparently, this is wishful thinking. James Clear, in his article about the real science of habit formation, says it really takes on average, at least two months minimum to start a habit. In reality, he says the best plan is to go long and incorporate the change into your lifestyle. Over time it gets easier and easier to "just show up". He also notes that missing a day is okay taken into perspective. 

I remember with hot yoga, I started going 3 to 4 times a week. It was after the 30 day challenge that I decided the daily practice is good for me. I call it daily but I don't go on Wednesday. That is my Toastmaster morning. I do a gym workout that day instead. 

Penni and me in La Jolla

Sister Penni invites me to wonderful places like La Jolla and Detroit coming up. It's always my challenge to find a way to practice my yoga in these unfamiliar places. So far I have been successful and have introduced some of my new friends to the practice as well. In the end, as my yoga teacher and acupuncturist says, "The way you do anything is the way you do everything." I believe if I "just show up", good things will happen.