What if no one shows up?

I wasn't sure what size table to get.

If I got one too small, people might not feel welcome because they would not have enough room. If I got one too big and no one showed up, I'd look stupid sitting alone.

I was at this little Latinx restaurant in Atlanta, where I bravely decided to host my first meetup for a group I was starting.

A few people seemed interested on my meetup.com page, but I TRULY had no idea who would show up.

I walked up to the upstairs patio and sat at a table for four. That seemed safe! I sat there and kept checking my phone in case anyone wrote.

To my complete surprise, three people showed up—three whole adults. We had dinner and a lovely conversation.

When the night was over, I felt fulfilled and hopeful, but I also dreaded the idea that if I wanted to host another meetup, I'd have to go through the process of sitting all alone all over again.

Over the years, as I’ve coached people who are starting something, one fear that shows up for people repeatedly is, "What if no one shows up? What if I get a table that is too small or too big? What if no one engages? What if I look cringe?"

I 100% get it. I’ve been there. And here’s the thing: anyone who has ever built something has been there, too.

There is no way to get started without taking that risk. AND the paradox in this whole thing is that if no one shows up, no one will be there to know that no one showed up. :)

It's similar to posting content on social media. If no one interacts with it, the algorithm will not pick it up, and no one will know that no one interacted with it. (For the most part)

Last week, I attended a talk by Seth Godin and Debbie Millman in NYC, where they talked about this very same concept.

Seth mentioned that to become great, we have to create volumes of work and show up and do the work without trying or expecting to be great. He mentioned that Picasso created hundreds of paintings before becoming Picasso, and even then, he is only known for a small portion of his work. (AKA, a large portion of his work is not “Picasso-level” work.)

We don’t set out and make work to be great; we do it because we want to. We take a risk.

And hopefully, you’ll think it was worth it even if no one shows up.

While Seth Godin was signing books, I had a moment of bravery when I asked him if we could take a selfie.

He was super kind and said, “Sure, but be quick,” as he glanced back at the line of people still waiting to meet him.

So I walk behind the table and hold up my phone, and in my nervousness, instead of tapping the shutter button, I hit the button that switches to the back camera THREE times while saying out loud, “Awkward, awkward, awkward” 

Anyway, we made it! That’s all for today, see ya next time.