The Power of Showing Up
(Without Needing a Return)
There’s a problem with outcomes…
We live in a results-driven world. ROI. Metrics. KPIs. Growth targets.
Everywhere we turn, we’re asked to justify our effort through output. Was the meeting worth it? Did the post convert? Did the trip pay off?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately - and realizing how often I unconsciously tie expectations to my actions.
I book a flight, give a talk, join a conversation… and somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice whispers: Will this be worth it?
And that’s the trap.
Because it turns something generous - the act of showing up, the gift of contributing - into a transaction. It shackles effort to outcome.
And the moment that happens, something shifts. Pressure creeps in. The joy fades. The moment is no longer about the act itself… but about what it might get me.
What If We Let Go?
What if we decoupled action from outcome?
What if we showed up fully - prepared, present, and generous - and left it at that?
No scorecard. No silent calculation. No hidden contract that says, “If I do this, the universe owes me something in return.”
Just the input. Pure and focused.
That, I believe, is where the power lives.
Because here’s the truth: It’s a gift to do the work. To speak. To share. To try. To give without guarantee.
And ironically, when we release the need for a specific return… the real returns tend to show up. Serendipitously. Authentically. Often in ways we couldn’t have predicted, but always in the ways that matter most.
This Isn’t Easy
It takes unlearning. It takes trust. It takes faith.
But I’m working on it. And maybe you are too.
Here’s what I’m learning: There’s more clarity in the action. More joy in the giving. More growth in the doing - when we stop demanding something in return.
It’s action without expectation of outcome.
And when we can achieve it, it’s a beautiful thing.
So let’s build things. Let’s give talks. Let’s write and lead and show up…
Not because we expect something back.
But because we can.
- Seth
About The Author
Seth is the founder and CEO of Kanahoma, a San Diego-based performance marketing agency on a mission to build a better agency for organizations building a better world.
You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.Kanahoma.com.
Seth, love this reframe. If you’re looking into a deeper dive on this, you’d like the book “The Art of Possibility” I appreciated the audiobook as it included music from the Philharmonic orchestra, but it’s worth a cliff notes.
The authors talk about uncoupling from outcomes and the difference it would make in our performance if we “automatically gave ourself an A”. What kind of freedom that would give us to perform our best and change our behavior because we are already rewarded, not needing the reward.
Thanks for sharing!
I've thought about this a lot the in the last year myself. We simply live in a world of instant gratification and it can be hard to just think long term. In my head I try and simplify it down to "long term, is it the right thing to do?"
If the answer to that simple question is "yes", then I just move forward guilt free doing it. Now you do hit a mid term point where you can start looking back and iterating on some of those decisions. Commonly you have learned something along the way and the long term goal is not straight ahead and you need to course correct a little.
You will never get anywhere if you don't start.