The Power of Showing Up
I had an amazing experience last weekend,
testimony to the power of showing up.
Robert and Bonnie Butwin are two of the finest
people I know. I promised them I would speak
at their first public seminar, wherever and
whenever it was.
They decided on beautiful Napa Valley, California.
Last Friday, I left my house at 7am eastern. I
arrived in Napa at 4pm pacific. With three hours
of time difference, it was 12 hours door to door.
On Monday, I made the 12-hour trip home.
I traveled 24 hours to be there for 48 hours.
I am of the spirit that “who” matters more than
“how much” or “how many.” I have spoken to a
group of 5,000 and to a “group” of one. Once, I
showed up to speak at the 5,000 seat Los Angeles
Convention Center, and walked in to a morgue-like
crowd of 13!
Can you picture 13 people in a 5,000-seat arena?
How much energy could you bring to that event?
I spoke to those 13 as if they were 5,000.
How you do anything is how you do everything!
This weekend, they asked me to speak last. Closing
a meeting is an honor, especially a three-day event.
It is also a big response-ability.
Etch this into your mind:
People remember best what they hear first and last.
Everything in between is much harder to recall.
“Hit ‘em with your best shot” right up front. Do not
hold your ace for later in the game; you may never
get a chance to play it.
In some situations, finishing last can be best.
You get to impact what people take with them.
If you want to be really memorable…
START STRONG, AND FINISH STRONGER!
The real story of this weekend is the amazing series
of connections with people that would never have
happened if I didn’t show up. In events like this,
what happens outside of the meeting room is often
as good or better than what happens inside.
Inside you learn. Outside you find what I call the
“Three R’s”:
Resources! Relationships! Results!
If you want to make every interaction valuable,
generously share the “Three R’s” with people.
I invested 24 hours of cross-country travel at my
expense to speak to half a hundred people. A
dozen other experts, highly paid speakers and
top earning professionals in their fields, all came
in on their own.
Everybody showed up to support Robert and Bonnie.
I can’t speak for the others, but if Robert and Bonnie
asked me to show up again next weekend, and I did
not have another commitment, my only question
would be, “What city?”
I do not know what rewards will come to me.
I do know that synchronicity and serendipity have
already arrived, bringing with them people I
needed to meet. That happens when you show up.
When I focus on how many or how much, I divert
attention from who and why I do what I do.
How much and how many are not as important
as who and why. Get your why straight, find
your who, and the how much and how many will
take care of themselves.
I cannot be fully present and give my best if I
focus on how much I’m making rather than who
I am serving.
Focus on who, and the how much will be abundant.
Even if you are not well paid today, it will return.
What goes around, comes around.
Here’s the Formula:
1- Show up.
2- Express yourself!
3- Accept the outcome!
Here’s a few of my outcomes:
Got two and 1/2 hours of new material audio recorded digitally.
Met a seminar promoter who wants new speakers.
Met dozens of entrepreneurs representing dozens of companies.
Listened and learned from more than a dozen other experts.
Met a founder of a company from Russia who wants to bring my work to Russia and other countries his company operates in.
Networked with dozens of people who are connected to thousands of others.
Created a brand new Power Point slide presentation on, “The NEW Game of Network Marketing.”
Created a phenomenal bundle of tools, training, audio and written materials that I can continue to offer going forward.
Sold enough of these bundles to cover my expenses to attend and speak, and earned a profit to boot.
Had great 1:1 conversations with at least a dozen people.
Added dozens of people to my contact list.
I could go on, but you get the idea.
All this from the simplest yet most under-utilized step of all:
SHOWING UP!
In Sunday’s talk, I shared the insurance industry research that revealed 80% of insurance clients would buy again from their agent if their agent would do one thing. You got it:
SHOW UP!
The act of showing up separates you from the rest. If you show up and add value, that gets you onto the short list.
In what area of your life, livelihood and living are you not showing up?
Where and how can you show up?
What one place could you show up, and have the biggest impact on your success and results?
Every day, ask yourself, “Where and how will I show up today?”
Make it a habit to show up for someone, somewhere, every day.
If you want to influence your world and the people in it…
Show up!
Mitch Axelrod, creator of The NEW Game!
CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer), “Showing Up!”
