How would it be to have nothing to prove?
I love the Olympics, especially figure skating. But as talented as these athletes may be, it is easy to see that the Olympic pressure can be suffocating, leading many to freeze up doing their performances.
Gold medalist Alysa Liu showed a contrast to this. She said that she skated not to win a medal but to showcase her art. The freedom and natural expressiveness of her skating make this mindset plain, and her performances are breathtaking.
What would it look like to write this way? To shake off the need to impress other people, to live up to others’ expectations, or to scrape a sense of self-worth out of something that was never intended to give it?
These are the questions I have been wrestling with in my own writing journey. When we are burdened with the pressure to be “good enough”, I think freedom comes from returning to what really matters. For me, it’s to bless others with what I write, to have fun expressing myself, and to learn more about my Creator in the process.
So, if you ever feel that pressure to perform, take a break from those videos that say you should be writing 500 pages every day. Ask yourself what really matters to you. And whether your story “wins gold” or not, I think you will find joy in your writing journey.
- Nothing to Prove - March 2, 2026
- Overcoming Writer’s Block - June 27, 2025