Thursday Edition

dispatches from the new world of work

Eighty Percent of Success Is Showing Up

While editing and fact-checking my latest Master presentation, Cathy came across "90% of success is showing up"—and it didn't ring true. She checked and corrected it to 80%. Our exchange encouraged me to go Googling. I immediately confirmed that I was wrong and she was right—no surprise—but also came across a lovely little essay at PersistenceUnlimited.com:

"80 percent of success is just showing up" —Woody Allen

"I often think about that quotation. It may sound easy to shrug off, but not if you look a little deeper. It doesn't just mean show up for job interviews or to work for an 80% increase in success. Showing up also means ... starting.

"For instance, did you show up at the gym today? Just showing up means you're 80% of the way to a good workout. The hard part of fighting yourself to get dressed in workout gear, dealing with traffic and the worry about pain you might experience is over. Now all that is left is to just do the workout. Pretty simple, huh? Even a child could do it.

"Same thing with opportunity. It's easier to make significant progress on a project if you simply show up to do it. Candidly, one of my hardest tasks of the day is 'showing up' for development Visual Studio. It seems simple enough ... just double click on an icon. But if I think too much about the seemingly 10,000 things I have to do once I launch it, I am much more likely to 'accidentally' launch my web browser or fiddle with e-mail.

"But once I'm in there, the work is typically easy and fun. Some days I can knock out more tasks than I planned. And I feel like a success at the end of the day.

"You can be or do whatever you want just by showing up. If you want to be an author, show up to write your manuscript every day, show up to writing classes, show up to phone calls to editors. Doesn't it make sense that someone who arrives at the door of opportunity has more success than someone just sitting at home?

"So increase your chances by 80%. Show Up!"

Nice!

Tom Peters posted this on 06/18/08.

Comments

Thank you for crediting me, Tom, and thanks for pointing to the PersistenceUnlimited post. It really rings true. I remember taking a fun exercise class once, and I used to say that all I had to do was leave the house. From now on, every time I try to talk myself into going to the gym, this post is going to run through my mind. I hope it helps to change my behavior.

Posted by cathy mosca at June 18, 2008 3:08 PM

‘Showing up’ is particularly important for leaders in my research. Followers are smart and will soon work it out you don't ‘show up.’

Posted by Trevor Gay at June 18, 2008 5:11 PM

Excellent quote Tom! My favorite ones are…

> If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.

> If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.

> Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once.

Truly, Woody Allen is a HERO

Posted by Sriram Kannan at June 19, 2008 4:35 AM

And I reckon a large part of the remaining 20% is Refusing To Go Away Again.

Posted by Rob at June 19, 2008 6:26 AM

Wow!

Thank you Tom for 1. finding my blog. And 2. quoting my essay.

I have been a fan of your work since the 1980's when I was just a teenager. I listened to your cassettes through college. You are one of the main inspirations for the path I've chosen in life.

What an honor to have you stop by my blog and find my work valuable!
- Brad Isaac

Posted by Brad Isaac at June 19, 2008 8:57 AM

By showing up you also contribute to the success of others.

Ever notice how successful leaders change the energy in a room by showing up?

Ever see how, by showing up (even if you don't have to), you convey that "the work matters"...that the work everyone is doing is meaningful?

Posted by Manoj Pawar at June 21, 2008 12:40 PM