Show up: You never know what’s waiting to happen

I remember growing up I wanted to be in a lot of places all at once, with a hunger for experiences and the desire of exploring new avenues. A lot of opportunities in my life and a lot of work I got to do and experiment with, came to me because I would always show up and be eager to learn and do. I did get called names, I was pegged the enthu cutlet with my hand raised for almost everything I could do.

While I don’t want to preach or give gyaan, I do want to say that in my experience, turning up when you make a commitment, can chart new courses in life.

I have also had experiences where I have extended invites to friends and family, managed to get passes and tickets to forums and events for them and yet people didn’t show up. These are people who confirm and say they will come, but they don’t. I do know that there will always be last minute changes to plans and emergencies that come up and people may not be able to make it, but that’s not always the reason for not showing up. This does sound like a rant and it is to some part, but beneath that layer, there is a point to be made.

If we choose to look at the world with a wider-angle view, a lot of times we step out of the box we have built for and around ourselves and look beyond work, family and duties that tie us down. We have been subject to a certain kind of conditioning for years, which has taught us that anything that is not core to our education or our job doesn’t count and should not feature in our to-do lists.

Remember how group-studies would be frowned down upon and sports and cultural activities would always come second, despite how good you were at them.

What’s the parallel? The fact that we continued to look at everything around us with the same lens that was drilled into us and not exploring beyond the comfort circle we drew around us. So, we are reluctant to look outside the window at the multiple avenues that could be explored and the options that lie in wait.

The context is two-fold, one is to do things across multiple dimensions and the other is to honour a commitment and show up for something you signed up for.

“80 percent of success is just showing up” —Woody Allen

Personally, I have reservations with this man, but he does have a point here.

Success is known to come to people who are there and are there at the start and it’s often the drive to get going that is missing and hence we miss the bus entirely.

My weighing scale reads – You said tomorrow yesterday, and it couldn’t be more apt. We all do it, we all procrastinate for different reasons and things, it could be my personal life and health for me, it could be work for someone else, the loop exists.

The trick is in breaking that loop and just jumping right into doing something you wanted to do, committing the time and investing in effort because it was your choice to do so. So, the next time you request for free passes and you get them or are specially invited to support an endeavour or a cause, make it a point to  show up and be there! Just showing up you tend to broaden the horizons of your own mind and your personality.

Remember – When opportunity knocks, make sure your door isn’t locked!

Shreya Krishnan

Vice President - Marketing and Communications at Aon India Insurance Brokers

Shreya is a CSR Specialist and Corporate Grooming Consultant. Her interests lie in Activism, Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Blogging, Modelling, Acting. She considers herself an Earth Warrior and is an Event Anchor and Trainer. She is a Pageant Winner and public speaker.