Performance
What if we looked beyond that?
by Sylvie Olivier
A Society That Values “DOING”
In our society, performance is everywhere.
We’re encouraged to be more efficient, more productive, more profitable, and faster. From a very early age, we learn to measure our worth by our results. We perform well in school. We perform well at work. We perform in our relationships. We sometimes even perform in our personal development.
Performance has become synonymous with success.
And yet…
- How many people achieve their goals while feeling an inner emptiness?
- How many succeed outwardly while feeling as though they’re drifting away from themselves?
Perhaps the question isn’t whether performance is good or bad.
The real question might be: From what space do we perform?
When performance becomes a quest for worth
When fueled by fear, comparison, or the need for recognition, performance becomes demanding.
It constantly pushes us toward an “elsewhere.”
It makes us believe that our worth depends on what we accomplish.
We then seek to be more.
To do more.
To possess more.
As if who we are today were never quite enough.
This form of performance can yield great results, but it often leaves little room for inner PEACE.
When performance becomes an expression
However, there is another way to experience performance.
When it springs from inspiration, Joy, or a sincere sense of contributing, it becomes a natural expression of who we are.
- We continue to act.
- We continue to engage in cocreating.
- We continue to accomplish.
But we no longer seek to prove our worth. We simply express our talents, our creativity, and our uniqueness.
Performance then ceases to be a race. It becomes a dance!
The Different Stages of Human Performance
Early in life, we often seek to HAVE.
To have money.
To have security.
To have resources.
Then we seek to DO.
To engage in cocreating.
To build.
To accomplish.
Next, we aspire to SUCCEED.
To be recognized.
To reach our goals.
To leave our mark.
But over time, many discover that something deeper is calling.
We feel the need to:
Connect more deeply—with ourselves and others.
Grow inwardly and flourish.
Align ourselves with what is true for us.
And finally, a question emerges:
“Who am I when I stop defining myself by my results? ”
Beyond Performance
At this point, performance takes on an entirely new meaning.
- It is no longer about proving. It is about expressing.
- It is no longer about convincing. It is about shining.
- It is no longer about becoming someone. It is about revealing what is already there.
When we explore this space, our contribution to the world becomes simpler, more fluid, and more authentic.
- We continue to cocreate.
- We continue to act.
- We continue to achieve beautiful things.
But we do so because life flows naturally through us.
Presence as a New Definition of Excellence
We have often associated excellence with effort, discipline, or perseverance.
But perhaps there is another form of excellence.
An excellence that doesn’t arise from pressure.
An excellence that arises from coherence.
When our thoughts, words, actions, and feelings move in the same direction, things become simpler.
Energy flows.
- Decisions become clearer.
- Relationships become more genuine.
- Performance then ceases to be a struggle.
- It becomes the natural consequence of alignment.
Conclusion: What if we redefined performance?
Perhaps true human performance isn’t about always doing more.
Perhaps it isn’t about achieving more, either.
Perhaps it consists of becoming present enough to allow our essence to express itself freely.
To be ourselves in a world that constantly invites us to be something else.
To act without losing ourselves.
To contribute without burning out.
To succeed without needing to prove ourselves.
What if the greatest success were not what we accomplish… but rather the Quality of Presence with which we live our lives? For when we are in Presence, we appreciate the simple, small moments of every instant just as much as the grander, more spectacular moments.
In Quality of Presence, we truly APPRECIATE every moment… which assists us in LIVING our lives instead of merely surviving or scraping by until the end of the day, the weekend, vacation, or retirement.
These moments I’ve listed are part of our lives, of course… but instead of being mere dots on our timeline, they are interwoven with connecting lines lived in Presence.
In closing, I’d like to emphasize that the question asked at the beginning of this conclusion doesn’t call for a ready-made answer. It simply invites each of us to discover our own alignment.
With Presence & Excellence,