Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn’t feel like giving your best effort? I’m not talking about feeling ill, rather it would be like feeling I didn’t need to give my all because the situation isn’t ideal or differs a bit from our expectations. Several years ago, I witnessed a true professional approach such a situation that could have been a bit of a disappointing, and it inspired me. We were on a cruise, and we showed up to one of the onboard activities ready to be a part of a big class. We were a small group of my extended family and as the scheduled dance activity started, we realized that we would be the only participants. The venue could clearly hold a lot more people and I was surprised that more hadn’t come to this activity. I could relate to the activity leader as she started the event for our small group, and I was curious how she would handle the low turnout. She had clearly put in a lot of effort to prepare for this event only to find that there were just a few of us there.
If she was disappointed with the turnout, we would have never known it. She gave her full effort and made that activity feel like we were part of a much larger event. We had a great time and, if anything, got a lot more of her attention and care. I’ve thought a lot about that situation and how the activity director rolled with the circumstances.
Since the I have tried to remember the importance of showing up fully for the people who have shown up in my life. It may be different from what I expected, but those people generally show up for the full experience, not a watered-down version. Maybe there are fewer students in an activity or a class than we had hoped for, and it might be easy to get down and our energy can slip a bit. But what I try to remember is that whether it is one person or one hundred, each of those deserve my full energy and attention. Keeping this in mind, I’ve had great experiences with large groups and with very small groups. I really admire that cruise activity leader for showing up and giving us her all because it made a difference to us. We don’t have to work on a cruise line to do the same thing. Sometimes just bringing your full energy to an activity, a class, or even a meeting can transform the experience for everyone involved. Where can you show up more fully this week?