The Art of Showing Up
On being visible, staying real and remembering what matters
“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” - Mary Oliver
I had to laugh at myself recently whilst filming a reel for social media. After balancing the phone, checking the light, forgetting what I wanted to say and starting again, I found myself thinking: I would quite like to get back to my actual job now.
It’s a familiar reality for many small business owners. We begin with something we genuinely love doing, yet somewhere along the way we also become the photographer, copywriter, marketer, web designer and content creator.
And today, it’s not only the business that needs to be visible. People increasingly want to connect with the person behind it too.
I understand that, particularly in my own work as a Vedic Meditation teacher on the Coffs Coast. When somebody is considering learning meditation or coming to one of my wellness events, they naturally want to get a sense of the person they’ll be learning from. Social media can be a wonderful way to build that connection and trust.
The irony, of course, is that much of my work is about presence - yet creating content about presence can take us away from actually being present.
From Creator Mode to Being
The bigger cost isn’t always the hour or two spent making a reel. It’s the headspace around it - thinking about what needs promoting, spotting what might make a good post or mentally creating the next piece of content before the current moment has even finished.
This is where Vedic Meditation and the wisdom of the Vedic tradition continually bring me back.
One of its core teachings is “Established in Being, Perform Action.” We connect first with that deeper, unbounded awareness within and then move into action from there. Rather than continually forcing and striving, there can be more clarity, ease and trust in allowing life to unfold.
My twice-daily meditation practice gives me that reset - a chance to stop producing, planning and doing and reconnect with the quieter space within.
It also reminds me that attention is energy. Where we place it matters.
Showing Up Consciously
I’m certainly not disappearing from social media. I enjoy its creativity, the connections it allows us to maintain across the world and its ability to introduce people to my work.
But I don’t believe showing up needs to mean showing up constantly.
Another Vedic principle I live by is following charm - noticing the natural pull towards what feels right in the moment. Sometimes that means creating and sharing. Other times, it means recognising that my attention is better placed somewhere else.
Maybe that is part of using social media more consciously: noticing when it feels creative and expansive and when it begins to drain our energy or distract us from the life happening around us.
Because there will always be another post, reel or story waiting.
Life, thankfully, doesn’t run to a content calendar.
And maybe the more interesting question is not how often are we showing up? but what are we choosing to show up for?
I explore this idea more deeply - including personal branding, authenticity, imperfection and the pressure to stay visible - in my latest Substack reflection, The Art of Showing Up.
→ Read the full reflection on Substack
From my unbounded heart to yours,
Kazzie x
Kazzie Argyle is a certified Vedic Meditation teacher and holistic wellness practitioner based on the Coffs Coast, NSW, Australia, working in person across Australia and globally online.
