Click to Download – Show Up Guidebook PDF
Practice Application
Objective:To be fully present in body, mind, spirit and intention without distractions.
Application: Multi-tasking is the new challenge of technology rich environments and having someone’s undivided attention has become a rarity. The Hero transcends busyness and arrives unencumbered and completely available. The Intention of Now has application for everyone.
Concepts to Ponder:
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- Ponder what you believe to be your life purpose. This is The WHY of your life. Why are you here? (Examples: Problem Solver, Builder, Navigator, Healer, Visionary, Teacher etc).
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- How will others know when you are gone that you were “here” and that you showed up for the life given to you? WHAT will be the legacy you will leave behind?
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- Describe what you “look like” when you show up completely and authentically. Describe your physical features. Continue to be the Observer. Look at yourself when you are engaged.
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- When someone who you have initially engaged becomes distracted and your insignificance seems apparent, what feeling emerges for you?
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- When a phone call or text grabs your attention while being with someone who has sought your counsel, list the justifications for your willingness to be distracted that relinquishes “your presence.”
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- The word Mystic can have a negative connotation or it can refer to the childlike, inquisitive mind that is the source of innovation. Discuss your interpretation of the word and how this character may in fact, be that part of your mind you seek to enhance in your ability to Show Up.
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- Power and its misuse (Force) often will have a negative connotation. Define your current understanding of the word POWER. How does the proposed definition differ from a more common understanding? Use examples:
The 12 Questions
Who is someone who has always SHOWN UP for you? Who is someone who DOES NOT?
What do those experiences “feel like?”
When is a time or circumstance when you always have shown up?
Where is a place in nature where Nature “shows up” for you always?
How do you regain your attention when distracted?
Why, when someone shows up for you, does it make a difference?
Do you ever feel the need to disappear because “being present” is so tiring?
Which distractions get your attention most easily?
Will you recognize your pet’s ability for affection and attention as an example for you in showing up for others?
Whose self-confidence will be enhanced by your complete presence?
Is there a consequence of you NOT “showing up?”
If someone does not “show up” for you, do you tell them?
Assignment for Work and Home – Practice creates Habits:
For Heroes
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- Practice preparing to Show Up for your entrance through your front door by Sitting Quietly on your commute home with no phone or music.
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- Commit to dinners with the family (spouse, children) with no distractions.
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- Practice “Showing Up” for someone in your life who has become either a bore or who you just don’t like. Putting aside all the baggage of the past, observe what happens to the relationship – or to the other person when you do show up.
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- One time each week, have the courage to tell someone when you perceive that they have not shown up for you, even though they are sitting in front of you.
For Culture:
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- Help establish a guideline that says: “You are the most important item on my agenda” by practicing this intention with the quality of your presence.
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- When you make time to meet with someone, determine a place as a meeting spot where you will be able to show up without distractions.
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- When you facilitate a meeting, try allowing NO OPEN laptop computers. Ask everyone, to SHOW UP and to put away any possible distraction.
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- When meetings bog down, have everyone write a Haiku (Japanese poetry form of only three lines – 5 Syllables, 7 and 5 – about what is the “reality of now,”) read them aloud and share the laughter – then go back to your process. A Haiku Example:
This meeting is long (5 Syllables)
So much talk about nothing (7 Syllables)
Please pull Fire Alarm. (5 Syllables)
Life Partners:
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- Ask your partner when are there times or in what ways could you show up more fully.
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- Ask your partner if they would like similar ideas from you for their ways to contribute.
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- Each share the emotion of what it feels like when you “know” your partner has shown up for you. If willing, you can also share what it feels like when the opposite occurs.
For Families:
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- From White Rhino Books, the story of PENNY is a story of what happens when Pennies, one by one, Show Up – to make a difference. Penny is in audio format or the sequel, Subtraction, how each Penny is utilized, can be purchased at amazon.com and Life Rich Publishing.
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- With drawing paper and colored pens or crayons, have each member draw the dinner table with the family in attendance. Note the size of the members, the colors utilized, facial expressions, seating arrangements, shape of the table and any distractions noted. The art can be added to throughout the practice period illustrating mood shifts, empty chairs etc.
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- Talk with each other about those persons who CANNOT show up anymore because they have “passed on,” died, are no longer alive or whatever phrase is most comfortable. Discuss the meaning of dying, is it a part of living, do we fear it, do we embrace it and prepare for it? Can you be courageous enough to talk about things that are uncomfortable?