Woody Allen once said that “80% of success in life is showing up.”

Now, you might not like Mr Allen as a person, and you can quibble about the percentage value, but it’s hard to argue with the concept.

We have to show up to class, show up for the interview, or show up to work, to even have the chance to succeed. If we don’t show up, we already failed.

But I think the real power in this quote comes when we take it deeper. When we realize it isn’t just about physically showing up somewhere, although that is certainly important.

Here are five different ways we can show up to get our 80% of success:

1. Committing to Show Up

Here, I’m talking about making a commitment and taking small actions in advance to increase the odds that we will show up when we need to.

If I’m procrastinating over a new skill-set I want to learn, for example, learning how to form a startup, then I’ll sign myself up in advance for a workshop, or some meetups and conferences. Once I’m signed up and it’s on the calendar, the chances are high that I will attend, learn a lot, and begin building momentum towards my goal and future success.

Other common examples of showing up in advance include:

• Applying for a new job
• Volunteering for a new role or responsibility
• Signing up for a gym class or personal trainer
• Signing up for to a dating site
• Getting an accountability partner
• Scheduling a meeting
• Entering a competitive event
• Make a goal public and accountable so that it’s more painful (due to loss of money or loss of face) to not show up than it is to show up
• Signing up for a farm to table delivery program
• Joining a church, community organization or social club

2. Preparing to Show Up

This is about preparing mentally and physically in advance so that we can show up in peak condition later on when it will count the most towards our success. Of course, we can also use the concept of showing up, to make sure we are there for our preparation and conditioning sessions.

Some examples of preparing to show up include:

• Researching online or at the library
• Meditation and visualization of a successful outcome
• Reviewing past experience and lessons learned
• Writing and practising our speeches and performances in advance
• Putting in the time at the gym or on the streets
• Buying and eating the right kinds of food
• Buying or borrowing any prerequisite equipment, materials and supplies
• Warming up in advance of an event
• Personal grooming and appropriate attire

3. Showing up Physically

This is the more obvious interpretation of Woody Allen’s success quote. Making sure you show up to all those places, events and activities that are in line with your values, goals and commitments.

Some common examples include showing up on time to:

• The office or place of work
• Meetings
• Class, school or workshops
• Raise our hand in class or meetings
• The venue for our performance
• The audition or interview
• Competitive or industry events
• Ask out the attractive woman walking down the street or sitting in the coffeeshop
• Sitting down to write that novel, every day
• Getting ourselves to the gym 3 times a week
• Our studio to compose or create
• Practice guitar or piano everyday
• Practice meditation or other routine
• Step into the ring
• Keep putting one foot in front of the other, even if the task is really boring, or tiring

4. Showing up Mentally

When we do show up physically, it’s also important to show up mentally. I like to spend a couple of minutes before a major event or activity, getting myself into the right state of mind, either through meditation or a more active routine to psych myself up.

Some examples:

• Bringing a curious, open mindset ready to learn at a class.
• Talk less, listen more
• Active listening with an open heart and mind to stories or complaints from our loved ones
• Meditate and visualize a successful outcome
• Be ready to take public responsibility for new projects
• Be ready to take public responsibility for failures
• Focus on the present moment and let distracting thoughts slip away like leaves on a stream
• Trust in our preparation

5. Showing Up through our Work

And then, when we’ve done our work, it’s about putting it out there in all the different shapes, forms and medias, so that our work shows up for us.

Here are some examples of that:

• Publishing our writing or music online
• Sending our script/book/article/video/song out for consideration
• Showing or performing our work in public
• Sending our work to coworkers and peers for review
• Sharing our knowledge with others on blogs, forums and video sharing sites

Can you think of any other ways to make Woody Allen’s quote work for our success? Let me know in the comment section below.