The Power of Just Showing Up

“Showing up is 80 percent of life.” -Woody Allen

Woody Allen’s quote above is easily one of my favorite quotes. I am almost at the end of my college career and lately I have been reflecting back on just how I made it this far. There are a decent amount of students who end up not making it this far. I have had friends who have dropped out, failed out, or have struggled along the way. College isn’t easy, but with the right attitude and strategies for success, succeeding is extremely possible.

I am a believer in the power of just showing up. There are so many times when I wake up in the morning and don’t want to go to class. I feel lazy and tired. My bed feels way too nice upon just waking up. I’m sure everyone can relate to this. In the end, I force myself out of bed each morning and once I enter the classroom, I am excited to start my day and gain some wisdom.

I could have chose to skip class, but I know that is never the right decision. Even if I am struggling in a class, just being there for each one has definitely made a good impact on my grades. I would feel lost if I just skipped. I believe I remember at my orientation, the staff repeated the phrase, “Go to class!” over and over again. I now understand why.

Aside from just going to class, just showing up is probably the biggest reason why I became so involved in the clubs I joined on campus. When the clubs held meetings, I showed up. When I had to go through training to learn how to operate equipment at WTOP or WNYO, I just showed up and others assisted me with the rest. When I show up, people get to know who I am because they get to see me and we get to talk to each other. There is no way I would have multiple leadership positions if I just sat in my room and took the easy way out.

Next time you have somewhere to go, the most powerful thing you can do is just get out of your room and arrive where you need to be. That’s 80 percent of the battle right there. Once you’ve shown up, the other 20 percent is just doing what you need to do.

About the Author

Adam Shear is a senior broadcasting major at SUNY Oswego. He is heavily involved at WTOP 10, the campus TV station, where he is the Segment Director for news and directs two TV shows. Shear is also the executive producer of the popular talk show 4 Guys in a Booth on the campus radio station WNYO as well as a teaching assistant for BRC 108: Into to Mass Media and BRC 222: Intro to New Media. When he actually has some spare time, Shear enjoys everything from hanging out with friends to playing video games. You can follow Adam Shear on Twitter via @AdamShear where he tweets a lot about video games and sometimes about life.
Email: shear@oswego.edu
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