One thing I’m going to try this year is to use the phrase show up to define my actions. With projects that need my focused attention, as well as activities in other parts of my life and business that are important, I think there will be great benefit from the daily reminder to show up in everything I plan to do. For example, If I promise I’ll call someone, schedule lunch or coffee, send an email, finish a project, attend a function or party, or sign a contract, it’s important for the sake of personal integrity and business relationships that I do what I say I’m going to do.

Accountability and dependability have always been important to me, and I work hard to be accountable and dependable with others. At the core of who I am, I don’t like to others down. The sad reality, though, is that I often let myself down. I think about doing something for myself, or dream of a personal goal, and I might not follow through, or if I do, it’s not with the best of what I can give. So I wonder if I can’t count on myself, who can I count on?

I see this challenge too when I work with individuals who want to write a cookbook. When they get into the work of writing recipes or a proposal, they don’t show up for themselves. They end up working on other projects and meet other deadlines for everyone else, but they fail to commit to their own project and dream. Even after discussions about time management, planning, and using a calendar to schedule time to take action, they use the scheduled time to work on their project. In short, they didn’t show up.

This idea of showing up for ourselves can have more than one meaning, and both were discussed at length in a podcast I recently listened to. In the The Life CoachSchool podcast with Brooke Castillo, Brooke stresses the importance of showing up for ourselves in two main areas: how we present ourselves, especially when we work alone part of the day, as well as how we plan and schedule our goals and show up to get the work done to accomplish our goals. Below is the link to these two podcasts.

I plan to get 2017 off to a good start and set my goals for the year. I then plan to schedule what I need to do and show up to do the work.  In doing this, I hope to accomplish all that I set out to do in 2017 not only for my clients but also for myself. 

Podcast #84 Showing Up discusses the importance of caring for ourselves and presenting our best self every day. Don’t listen to this if you’re in the “work in your pajamas”camp.

Podcast #126 The Power of Planning discusses the importance of planning and the elimination of indecision in our actions to show up and do everything we plan and say we’re going to do.

Cookbook author and culinary dietitian Maggie Green coaches aspiring cookbook authors in the process of writing cookbooks, cookbook proposals, and building their author platform. Download her checklist “Am I Ready to Write A Cookbook?”