If you reside near a large city (especially if it’s Los Angeles or New York) then you know that there are many meet-ups, industry mixers and networking opportunities; thus, having a resume ready is vital. You will notice that your business card collection and your address book starts to fill whenever you attend those kind of meetings. If you are smart and keep in touch with those who you’ve met, then your circle of business associates is ever-growing and therefore your opportunities for success have widened. But how did you arrive to this position? Well, you can put yourself in that kind of position by using the principle of “showing up”.

The Showing Up principle is by far, one of the most overlooked tidbits of wisdom. Take the Friends sitcom for example, I am sure you are very familiar with this sitcom. Nevertheless, are you aware of how this theory helped on of the cast in this sitcom?

One day, as the tale goes, an actor that had been very tired of working as an extra and wanted to get some “real acting jobs” showed up to work for just one more day. He was getting worn out with his current part, but he liked the job and so he decided to show for work one once more. Fortunately, that day he decided to show up changed his entire life and profession. As he was standing in the back of the room, the movie director of “Friends” yelled, “Does anyone know how to operate a cappuccino machine?” One of the extras raised his hand (although he had no idea how to operate one) and he was used in the scenario. That extra person soon earned the character name of Gunther, who owns the infamous coffee shop and he became a regular on one of the most well-liked TV shows of all time. Guess what he did? He simply reported to work and showed up even if he does not want to any longer.

The Showing Up theory is one that everyone can take part in, everywhere. Be around those that are successful in whatever you are pursuing. As long as you can do it then you attending classes, events, film conventions, and premieres with your resume may work to your benefit. It is a proven method and I myself have encountered it. Who knows, may be your life will transform just because you showed up.