Showing Up
By Les Mottosky
Well 2026 is off to a bang. The excitement of the new year has rapidly given way to anxiety of the future for millions of people in all walks of life.
There's a societal belief that the 59 days of Jan and Feb are the most difficult stretch of the year for many. Let's look at some ideas to help pull through to March in a way that'll make the "August 15th us" proud.
These ideas have been particularly sculpted for high performance types who typically show up like a beast, but are slipping a bit. Here's some good news: you haven't slid into laziness, you've uncovered valuable information.
The emotional, spiritual and even physical weight that finds room in our new year "backpacks" makes it difficult to focus on the next step, let alone the bigger journey. More than our results, this can affect who we see in the mirror and how we feel about them. If that sets-in, things can deteriorate without a guard rail. Not buono.
If there was such a thing as self esteem insurance, it'd likely be the willingness to show up. The rest of the world doesn't need to know what you overcame to contribute, but when you know, your worldview shifts.
And it shifts because capacity, clarity, or self-trust were addressed.
So what are a few things we can focus on that make showing up feel more do-able?
ENERGY FIRST. ENERGY LAST.
If your energy is toast, effort won't rescue you.
Examine your sleep, diet and nervous system.
Where sleep is concerned: it's not just about quantity, but the quality of those hours in the sheets. Is something there that needs to be addressed?
Diet: are you eating the right stuff at the right amount at the right time? If not why not? Also, is it time to abstain from food and partake in a fast?
Nerves and such: this is simple – and you should readily feel the answer – are you feeling wired or grounded?
While the answers to these questions will be as varied as the eyeballs reading them, the key here comes down to one focal point. And it's not discipline – which won't help here: if you're energy is lagging, ask yourself often, "What rejuvenates me right now? Even if it's 10%?"
This is number one because energy is everything. And that's not hyperbole.
ASK LESS THAN YOUR EGO WANTS TO GIVE
When showing up is challenging, your standards might be too high. For now. Consistency isn't always an arrow up and to the right. Sometimes that line dips. And sometimes it dips big.
For the time being, rather than thinking “I need to do this well”, take on the notion that "I need to begin imperfectly”.
Momentum will return when you shrink the task from a mountain into a molehill.
AN AGENDA OF AGENCY. (GET IT BACK FAST).
Lack of follow-through often comes from feeling subtly trapped. You are. And it's a trap you built yourself.
Do one thing today that is 1oo% your choice, visible to – and measurable by – you. Make sure you can get 'er done in one sitting. Do this once a day every day for a week. Then next week, do two things per day.
Agency rebuilds self-trust. Self-trust precedes consistency.
TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT'S ACTUALLY AT STAKE.
Avoidance feels like protection, but it actually compounds the problem we're dodging. It's not until we see the cost of this that we can choose to change it.
To get there we have to ask:
- What am I afraid will happen if I do show up?
- Who do I become if I succeed?
- What identity am I resisting? What identity am I feeding? And which one do I actually want to live into?
The clarity that arises from this dissolves a surprising amount of resistance. And when it comes to showing up, the main barrier we have to overcome is our own internal resistance.
LOWER THE VOLUME. MAINTAIN THE STANDARD.
This one’s big. Because it points to the benefit of small. And the wiser we get the more obvious it becomes that the small things are the big things.
You don’t need, more pressure, more self-talk, more accountability hacks. You need less noise so your internal signal can come back online.
Quiet walks. Less stimuli. One priority.
When that priority is the game-changer of consistently showing up, it deserves all of our energy.
Experiment with these, measure their efficacy and all the while, remember this:
Where you are now is not where you'll always be.
TAGS: #Showing Up #Adaptation As Innovation #Wisdom In Leadership #Radical Reframe #We're An Inside Job
Les Mottosky
Adaptation Strategist & Advisor // Revealing competitive advantage. I help leaders build aligned creative cultures that can measure their vitality and adapt to rapid change. It's not easy. But it's simple.
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