Putting Your Best Professional Foot Forward

Issue 1 / Volume 1

January 2012

CJ Johnson Writes…

“The Good Karma Copy Writer” CJJohnsonWrites.Com

Are you always showing up or always a shrinking violet?

That might sound a little ambivalent, but you could be a person that never “shows up.”

You may also recede or cave in a lot, quake in your boots at the most inopportune times, dumb

yourself down, silence yourself versus speaking your mind, or heck, all of the above. And where

does that get you? How good do you feel about yourself when you look in the mirror, or even

hear yourself carry on with others. Thinking, why didn’t I claim credit for the new benefits

program, or why didn’t I ask for $5,000 more in my interview. Your frustration grows when you

realize that your life is going in circles because you are simply, “not showing up.”

I first heard that phrase from the personal life coach, Unitra Roberts. I can’t even exactly

remember how the nature of the conversation began, I just remember, that phrase. She referenced

several people that seemed to always be “showing up” such as Barak Obama, Oprah, Condelezza

Rice, and various other celebrities and notables. These folks are consistent and convicted in who

they are, what they want to achieve, how they are going to do it, and never dumb themselves

down or, just not, not say anything when the moment presents itself.

The older we get the more that you begin to feel that the clock is ticking, very loud no

mind you, and that you have got to get a hold of yourself, push through, become a little more

brazen, and assert yourself whenever possible. This particularly holds true in one’s professional

life. I am not necessarily making this a public service announcement to engulf yourself in

shameless self-promotion. No, I am advocating that you jump into a more basic category for

change and self-awareness. I am suggesting that you just start sharing your brilliance the moment

it hits you, and not caring what others have to say. Granted, I know that takes guts to get the

glory but if you do not start “showing up” you will fall further into self-deprecation or self-

doubt.

There are a number of ways that you can approach this tall order. You can join

Toastmasters, start your own podcast, continue to read more articles like this one, you can

pretend your interviewer is naked, you could run for public office.

Wait, there’s more, you can call your enemy a name that rhymes with Witch to her face

(yes indecent, but I promise, you will feel an albatross drop from your neck), you could cough

every time someone suggests something wacky at work and then you insert your awesomeness

once all eyes are on you, you could keep a journal of your best ideas for productivity and publish

them in an e-book, the point is to just begin being vocal and progressive.

I’ve learned that once you stop letting others “speak” for you, you will find that you can’t

stop talking and that your innate self will begin to “show up” like never before. It is worth it take

risks, to put yourself out there and see how others react to you. Of course, you do not have to be

controversial or even that witty or funny, just start being engaging. Work hard, try new

approaches, or just remove your blinders and “show up” with wild abandon.