Show Up, Don't Panic

The Best Piece Of Advice I Was Given In College

When I was 20 years old, my Ancient Greek Professor Dr. Fisher gave me an unforgettable piece of advice that has stuck with me ever since.

Even though I did very well as an undergraduate, I wasn't always the most organized student. Sometimes I would not manage my time well, sometimes I would come to class unprepared. Sometimes I would skip class altogether because I was ashamed to come to class unprepared.

In my Junior year, I was starting to get interested in learning Ancient Greek, so I enrolled in Intro to Ancient Greek. I remember struggling to stay on top of my schoolwork that semester. I had never learned a language before, and I was having some difficulty adjusting to a new style of learning. At the same time, I was also taking a Russian Literature course, which was was crushing me with a totally different style of learning (tons and tons of dense reading).

Like most language-learning beginners, I made a lot of mistakes. I tried to cram all of my practice exercises into a single day. I tried to prepare right before class, and quickly memorize definitions. As a result, I often showed up to class feeling unprepared and nervous whenever it was my turn to translate a passage or define a term.

Sometimes, I would apologize to Dr. Fisher for missing class or for not being fully prepared. Until one day, Dr. Fisher said to me:

"There are only two things you need to do in life to be successful: show up and don't panic"

I was struck by the simplicity and disarming nature of Dr. Fisher's advice. All of a sudden it made my anxiety and self-consciousness melt away. It seemed to solve so many different problems all at once. I could also tell from the way Dr. Fisher spoke that this advice came from years of experience and mistakes in his own life, which gave it a real weight.

After hearing this advice, I felt less shame for not being fully prepared. I started showing up to class more. Even if I didn't know something, I stuck to what I did know and was honest about what I didn't. This made it so much easier to learn authentically.

It is easy to underestimate how much we miss out on by simply not being present. But showing up is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself and for others. Show up. Be there.

Worrying about what other people will think about us when we do show up is another way of not being present. When we do show up, it is important not to panic. In order to genuinely be there with others and be authentic, we need to get out of our own heads and let ourselves experience what is happening directly.

Show up and don’t panic.

Show up and don't panic in your personal life, in your relationships, and in your job. You will not only feel so much better, but you will perform so much better. Most of all, you will have a real effect on other people's lives.