SCARTISSUE MMA: "JUST SHOW UP"

Just show up. We do it every day. Without incident. Without fanfare. Without encouragement. Often it is the tipping point between what can make or break us, between winning and losing, between increasing or decreasing. Yet, it seems so strangely insignificant as to be hardly recognizable even for pretentious accolades and spurious applause.

I recently fell in with an eclectic group of guys, founders of ScarTissue MMA, a jujitsu fight club in Nashville, Tennessee. With vocations spanning law enforcement, music, alternative medicine, and education, each has contributed hard, life experiences that animate their mantra The Hardest Part is Showing Up.

Ever been shot in the neck at point-blank range while trying to help someone? Ever had your private work facility burn down by an arsonist? Ever lose your kids for two years due to false accusations by a hateful spouse? Ever fight the medical establishment to keep your loved one alive? These guys have. And for them just showing up was the hardest part.

We often combine showing up with the difficult thing that must be done. For example, we have a bill to pay but no money. Having no money does not mean that we can't write out the check or stamp the envelope or call the utilities company to get an extension, or call customer care to find out how we can get the product cheaper, or just get along without the product altogether if possible. 

Many times we feel at an impasse and will stuff the unpaid bill in a drawer or hide it underneath a pile so that it is out of sight. We fail to realize that we can still show up without having a clear solution about how we are going to get the bill paid. 

By confusing showing up and having the perfect solution, we create unnecessary anxiety and end up avoiding responsibility like the plague. After all, I don't know the first thing about surviving a neck wound, starting my professional life over, living without my children, or convincing the hospital to value my loved one like I value him, damn it. 

Neither did these guys. It is simply too much to ask of anyone. But each of them understand that you don't need to have the answer to your problem in order to show up. If you show up first, the answer becomes obvious. Something has to happen then. If you try to discover the solution first, you stall, you worry, you lose sleep, you lose ground. That is ScarTissue's message. 

Take a look at www.scartissuemma.com. ScarTissue is creating a line of clothing products, the first two being a T-shirt for men ("Just Show Up") and women ("Don't let the bow fool ya"). Both can be gotten in M, L, and XL. 

As a promotional, I am giving away free ScarTissue XL T-shirts to the first ten people who respond. Send your address to stonetableschool@gmail.com. Just show up!

DISCLAIMER: All trademarks, images, and artwork are the property of ScarTissue, LLC.