I’m not a huge fan of participation awards, but it turns out whoever came up with that idea, might be on to something.
It’s a bizarre concept to get a medal for simply showing up and not really achieving anything. When did trophies start get awarded to non-winners? I still struggle with this idea. How can you encourage anyone to do better if they are rewarded anyway? Strange indeed.
Most of us are quitters
It turns out that most of us are a bunch of no good quitters. Yep, that includes me. As humans we don’t really like seeing things through. We get bored easily and are automatically drawn to comfort. So when things take effort, and that effort needs to be consistent, we tend to check out. Of course you do get the superstars of the world who are perfect ‘specimens’ but they are few and far between.
Quitting certainly has its place, especially when you can see things moving in the wrong direction and for some self preservation you decide to jump ship. Quitting has helped me on several occasions, especially when things started getting toxic.
A dead winner celebrates no victory.
The quitting I’m talking about is more related to a ‘quit before I even get going’ mindset. I’m that person who loves a new adventure but gets bored easily. I’m a good starter but a poor finisher. I’m the ideas guy but often lack the implementation stamina. That’s exactly where showing up consistently makes all the difference.
Show up and you’ll win
Since most people lose interest when things get mundane or bail out when it gets a little tough, simply showing up puts you ahead of all the drop-outs.
Something begins to happen when you show up consistently. The game doesn’t change but you as a player changes. You begin to understand how the game is played, observe strengths and weaknesses within the team and identify opportunities for improvement. Being the one that always shows up means that you’re reliable, steadfast and trustworthy. That kind of track record is rare, hard to beat and is almost always guaranteed to get you the gold in the long term.
“Reliability is a superpower. Anyone can be a hero once—few can do the right thing, day in, day out.”
Greg McKeown
Show up without burning out
Life is a marathon. Why some of us treat it as a sprint is beyond me. Trust me, I am well aware of my fleeting days on this earth and I do want to make the most of them, but a continual sprint to the next best thing is going to leave you wrecked.
Showing up consistently doesn’t mean you have to put in 100% every single time. You’re not a machine. Some days you’ll be energised and hit your straps, other days you’ll feel a little drained and drag yourself to the finish line. The point is not to receive a gold medal at every training session but rather to show up consistently, so that when it is your time to shine, you’re all brilliant golden rays of sunshine baby!
Pacing yourself is essential to showing up consistently. Too fast and you burn out. Too slow and you become complacent. Finding your zone is essential to keep you going for the long haul with fulfillment.
“Success isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter. Consistency is more important than intensity.”
Adam Grant
Don’t show up for the wrong thing
Showing up day after day for something soul destroying is no good. When something is draining your very life source, you need to do serious introspection and decide whether or not it is worthwhile showing up for.
Showing up for the wrong thing can leave you empty in more ways than one. When it starts changing you in a bad way, that’s a red flag, so pay attention.
You’re intuition should guide you here and your gut will tell you what you should do. Just make sure you don’t leave it too long, where you allow the wrong thing to become ‘normal’ and you develop an unhealthy numbness.
“If you dig a hole and it’s in the wrong place, digging it deeper isn’t going to help.”
Seymour Chwast
Show up for the right reasons
In order to show up consistently and be mostly happy doing so, you need to may sure you are clear on why you’re showing up.
Is the thing you’re doing day after day aligning with your values?
Does it result in some good in this world?
Does the process make you a better person?
If your values are aligned and you’re developing into world-bettering hero, then chances are you’ll have the stamina to keep showing up and keep sharpening up on your awesomeness. The key is to always stay aligned. This is especially important in a world full of distractions.
“Before you worry about how to win the game, figure out whether the game is worth winning.”
James Clear
The participation award goes to…
Like I said, I am not a huge fan of participation awards but when you show up consistently and you actively contributing to something meaningful… Well then you deserve a medal my friend 🙂
Photo by Shaun Bell on Unsplash