JUST SHOW UP!

A friend mentioned on facebook not long ago, that one of her professors claims "90% of life is just showing up." Her comment spurred much discussion as to what exactly that means, and it got me to thinkin'. So, here's my take on the subject: I went through most of my life believing I didn't have a creative bone in my body. In fact, about 30 years ago, when I took a battery of aptitude tests and the counselor told me I needed to do something "artistic", know what I did? I laughed in her face! That's right, I told her she was nuts, 'cause I could barely draw stick figures. Smiling gently, she replied "That doesn't really matter, because things like drawing and painting are acquired skills. All you need to do is work at it." Work at it? What rubbish! Everyone knows that all real artists are prodigies who began creating masterpieces from their cribs. Right? Well, that was my excuse, anyway - for not doing the work...not daring to fail...not even bothering to show up.

We know a guy who always dreamed of being an actor. He went to college, got a theatre degree, moved to California, got a bunch of pretty head-shots printed up...and then never went on a single audition. He just sat around, hoping to be "discovered." He failed to show up, or as my daughter puts it, "He never figured out that you need to do more with those head-shots than just stare at them!"

Somewhere along the way, I finally got fed up with sitting on the sidelines of life. I decided I wanted to be a doer and a maker, not just a watcher and a taker. Sure, it's pretty scary sometimes. I've screwed things up, made mistakes, learned from them, and just kept going. I still cringe when I flip back through my notebook full of those hand-drawn "To-Do" lists that I post here periodically. Those first ones from a year ago look like they were drawn by a kindergartener! But, is the joy I get, from creating them now, worth the embarassing learning curve I had to go through, with all of you watching? You bet your sweet bippy it is!

So do it. Take a chance. Jump right in. Dare to fail. Just. Show. Up. For life!