Please support my ride in this year’s Pan Mass Challenge: www.pmc.org/profile/RF0091.…
This weekend I will ride in my 13th Pan Mass Challenge (PMC-www.pmc.org), a charity bike-a-thon that raises money to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I am riding with more than 40 family members and friends as part of Team Kevin Fitz, named in honor of my uncle Kevin, who passed away in the fall of 2007 after a long, brave battle with bone cancer. We ride with thousands of others to raise money for a cure to this dreaded disease.
“90% of success in life is just showing up.”
This expression was one of my uncle Kevin’s favorites. He often used it when giving advice to someone about their life, career, or any goal they had set for themselves. It may sound like an overstatement, but there was far more depth to its meaning than the words suggest.
In his last years of life, I can recall him using it during passionate speeches about his career in public service. To Kevin, “showing up” meant being present. It meant keeping an open mind. And being willing to listen.
“Showing up” meant being accountable. It meant always giving your best effort. And trying to do the right thing, despite forces that may work against you.
“Showing up” meant attending a community meeting as a State Rep., even though you knew the crowd was angry and you were going to take some lumps. (The fair-minded among them would appreciate your willingness to hear them out and find a solution.)
When Kevin talked about “showing up,” it wasn’t only about his work. It was also about his personal life and relationships.
A good husband and father “shows up” for his wife and children. A good friend “shows up for another friend in need. Coaches “show up” for their players. Mentors “show up” for their mentees. And people in recovery “show up” for the meeting.
You may not always feel great or put your best foot forward in these situations. You are certainly going to make your fair share of mistakes. But you’re there. You’re accountable. You are present for others.
It’s pretty amazing advice.
And when I reflect on it today I realize, as difficult as it may be to acknowledge, that some of my biggest regrets in life are times when I didn’t “show up” for others in ways I know I should have. Occasions when a quick call, a kind word, a small gesture, or a commitment of my time could have made a difference for someone and I didn’t do it for one reason or another. It’s something I always strive to do better.
I am proud to say that there is at least one occasion every summer when I can say for sure that I “show up.”
For 13 years now, I and thousands of others have “shown up” to ride in the Pan Mass Challenge. And all of you have “shown up” for me and the loved ones you hold in your hearts who have been touched by cancer, by donating to my ride and supporting Dana-Farber’s critical mission.
The brilliant doctors and researchers at Dana-Farber are going to keep “showing up” every day until they find a cure. There may be days of setbacks and failure but they won’t be denied and they won’t be deterred. With each passing day, they will fight for that next breakthrough closer to the end of this disease.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for “showing up” for me and the PMC all these years. And please consider doing so again with a donation today.
Please give what you can to support my ride in this year’s PMC.
To make a donation, visit my rider profile page at: www.pmc.org/profile/RF0091 and, by all means, share this link with others.
Thank you for your consideration.
Love,
Ryan Fitz
