Stop Performing: It still matters even if no one sees it.

Stop Performing

I keep hearing it lately, almost like a whisper I can’t ignore.

Stop performing.

Just… stop.

And the truth is, I don’t know how.

My whole adult life, I’ve been a performer. Performing my way into being liked, seen, valued.

If I’m nice enough.

If I work hard enough.

If I rarely mess up.

If I can just be a little more creative, a little more stylish, a little more kind…

More, more, more.

When Life Becomes a Performance

Somewhere along the way, I started believing that if no one sees it, it doesn’t count.

Like life needs a highlight reel to be real.

Like a piece of art isn’t fully worthy unless it’s shared, praised, and affirmed.

Like all the rooms I walk into…

the work I do,

the stages I stand on,

the moments I show up for my kids…

need to be documented, packaged, and placed neatly into a curated feed.

Proof that I was there.

Proof that it mattered.

And I live in that tension.

Creating Without Performing

Over Christmas, I worked on a piece of art for months.

I almost shared it. I even filmed parts of the process.

But this time, I didn’t.

I wanted to know what it felt like to create without performing.

To create just for the joy of it.

For the craft.

For the quiet.

Not for the post.

Not for the response.

Not for the approval.

Just… for me.

There’s More to Me Than What You See

Because I’m realizing, there’s more to me than what I show.

I’m not just someone who puts together outfits or shares creative work. I'm not just someone speaking on a stage or someone who knows a lot about social media and communication.

I’m someone who loves Jesus deeply.

Who loves people fully.

Who feels most alive outside, sitting in the woods, sunlight filtering through the trees.

Who loves local and sustainable, not overconsumption.

I’m someone who listens closely…but doesn’t often share the deeper parts of my own story.

A Quiet Life in a Loud World

And in a world that constantly asks us to perform, I find myself longing for stillness.

To sit at a table, maybe in silence, and for that silence to be okay.

Nothing is wrong. No one needs to fill the space.

Just being.

Just noticing.

Just seeing and being seen, without the pressure to prove anything.

Using Your Gifts Without Seeking Approval

Creativity is a gift I’ve been given, and I don’t take that lightly.

But I’m learning to ask myself…Am I using it for my glory, or for His?

So yes, I’m sharing this piece now.

Not for praise.

Not for likes.

But as a small step toward something different.

Less performing.

More being.

More honesty.

More connection.

More of who I actually am.

Let’s Start Here

So maybe we start there.

Tell me something about you that people often miss.