Measuring Up vs Showing Up

October 26, 2012 at 8:49 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.”
-President Rutherford B. Hayes

Opportunities exist each day to challenge our potential, explore new perspectives or skills, learn about or from those around us, demonstrate patience, to be fully present within our tasks and interactions, be grateful, while inspiring others to do the same. This combination is not easy, requiring reflection, focus and attention, and integrating empowered thoughts and actions. The benefits experienced by those on this journey though, regardless of where they sit on someone else’s beginner to expert continuum,  include a deepening of connection to self, others and the world around us and the honouring of our authenticity.

“The strongest force in the universe is a human being living consistently with his identity.”
-Tony Robbins

All to often as humans we try to measure up. To others or what they may think, our imagined perfect self that doesn’t honour our unique gifts and talents or expectations built on fear or perceived norms.Expectations like these see us experiencing feelings of not wanting to appear different, foolish or to fail and stop us before we even begin. We could all recall something in our own lives that we might have wanted to try or experience but the inner voice said, “You are not good at that type of stuff” or “I can’t do that, only _______ is capable of doing it” or “What will others think, I will be laughed at”. These thoughts drive a lack of action.

 “There is just one life for each of us: our own.”
-Euripides

The quote at the beginning of this post is one of my favourites. It is something that I try to reflect on when I experience thoughts that drive inaction. Being open to the journey of growth, without having to measure up but showing up ready to learn from the opportunities that I am privileged to experience allows us to make a difference for others and ourselves. This involves being aware of and appreciating our vulnerability, how our daily thoughts and actions are affected by the uncertainty of being human. We have to take the leap to connect, over and over again, as through connection we can glimpse and achieve potential, both individual and shared.

Love the passage below, summing up the courage that is involved in showing up to follow our own journey of ‘leaving footprints in the sands of time’.

The Man In The Arena

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat”.
-Theodore Roosevelt