• Have you ever attended an event, absorbed the knowledge from the engaging keynote, not really spoken to anyone and left, wondering if anyone even noticed that you were there?
• Or have you ever participated in a meeting, diligently writing notes, but otherwise didn’t contribute to the discussion and then left quickly to get back to your desk?
• Do you fear posting on social media in case you don’t get a positive response or even worse no response at all?

If so this post is for you, if you have ambitions for your career, whether your own business or in employment, you must pledge to ‘show up’ today.

To do this, you have to embrace the thudding sound of your heart beating out of your chest before you ask a question in a public domain, the doubting voice that wonders if they’ll laugh or dismiss you when you make a point in the meeting and the concern that the words just won’t flow in the order and supremely articulate way you intended.

I know that this easier said than done and how much simpler it would be to blend into the background and leave unscathed and unnoticed.

I want to make clear that I value knowledge and expertise, this is your firm foundation that you must build your career or business upon. I am an advocate of being qualified, continuous learning and reading, my Amazon account is testament to that. But when those around you also have this firm foundation, then showing up is critical. Because quite frankly others will be head and shoulders above you, when it comes to running for promotion, new clients and new business if you don’t chose to start showing up today.

Think about what makes people memorable, it’s those that have an opinion, show up, take an interest beyond being good at their job, isn’t it. Here are three ways you can to can start showing up for career success:

1. Question Time

Asking a question is a great way for everyone in the room to know you are there, have a voice, an opinion and an interest. Before attending an event or meeting, do your research and think about a question you’d really like to ask.  Advise the host in advance that you have a question, so that you don’t back out of asking it, they will then can come to you first and you’ll get it out of the way. Most importantly, if you are at an event where not everyone knows you, state your name and company or role before you ask the question, so people can find you after the event to carry on the discussion.

2.Share your Golden Nuggets

Whatever your area of expertise and interest, there will be articles written about it, you can be a conduit for this information, sharing links, questions and opinions on social media about these articles. Also if you attend a public event, sharing nuggets of information that come from it with the event #Hashtag, will get you noticed, help you find people with the same interest as you, your posts will also be much more likely to be shared. One of the great things about social media is that you have time to craft your words, great for those who need a little more time to think.

3. Be an Early Bird

Arriving at meetings or events early, gives you a chance to get to know people when there are less of them in the room, in a more relaxed way. It also is an opportunity to get into the conversation, understand the agenda or topic through the eyes of others. It will help you feel more confident and more able to show up when the meeting starts as you will feel you have some allies around you.

The consequences of not showing up will be more painful than taking that leap, try it and reap the rewards.