So, if you’ve followed along in my Magic & Mojo series, we’ve covered 1) taking responsibility 2) not taking responsibility and 3) mastering the art of apologizing.
My next critical ingredient for creating Magic and Mojo in your life is actually showing up for the game. Read on to see what I mean. 
Show Up for Your Life
I get increasingly perplexed by people who refuse to show up for their own lives. Oh, they go through the motions – have a job, relationships, hobbies maybe. But they only bring a small portion of themselves to the table. Then they wonder why life gives them so very little.
Our job and our responsibility to ourselves is to show up fully and consciously for our lives. Autopilot is the easier choice for sure, but that’s what we’ll get handed back – auto-life. Is that what you want?
What does showing up look like? It is bringing your full self – your talents, your weaknesses, your triumphs, your fears – everything that makes you you – to your daily life. No preoccupations, no distractions, no pretending to be someone else.
It’s saying “I’m really scared about saying this to you, but I also really want to say it, so here it is.” Instead of keeping it stuffed inside. So often we give the world an abbreviated, safer version of ourselves and it short-changes everyone.
One of the challenges of showing up is that it requires us to know who we are, what we like, how we feel. This kind of self-knowledge takes time and an intense curiosity about ourselves. I heard a great quote the other day that speaks to this very thing: “You have to know how you feel before you can know what you want.”
Let me ask you this question: when is the last time someone said, “How are you?” and you replied “Fine” with a smile when that simply wasn’t how you felt at all. Now, let me be clear – I am not advocating that you hoist all of your emotional and physical ailments onto the poor inquirer. I am suggesting that the next time you are asked “How are you?” you actually check-in with yourself and find out. Then reply specifically, “I feel great!” or “I’m actually feeling a little nervous/sad/ecstatic” – whatever word best describes how you are feeling.
This lesson is all about accepting responsibility for engaging in the life you are living. I can promise you this: the more richly and deeply you show up, the richer and deeper your life will feel.
Exercises:
1. If you were to show up exactly as you feel at this moment, what would you look like?
2. Choose someone safe and when they ask “How are you?” answer them as accurately (and briefly!) as you can.
Only two exercises, but they pack a powerful punch. Good luck!
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Tags: living, magic, mojo, showing up for life
