When life feels like a performance, we put on smiles, hide the chaos and act like we are putting on a show for folks who aren’t even real. We post every win, cheer each milestone in public, and try to make everything look perfect. Whether it’s due to social media, work expectations, or just society’s high standards, people are putting on acts instead of truly living. As children, we are socialised into the notion of living up to others’ expectations. We aim for good grades, a successful career, successful relationships and a lifestyle that looks good to others. Social media platforms have fuelled this trend. When people post on social media, they selectively post their accomplishments, highlights, and great things in their lives, while concealing their struggles, problems, and challenges. As a result, many people begin comparing their own reality to the ‘show’ someone else has put up.

 

We constantly are in that middle ground between authentically living and performing for our validation from others. Some of the hardest performances happen in places where no spotlight exists. We smile when we are overwhelmed, say “I am fine” when we are actually struggling and act confident when even when uncertainty fills our minds. Slowly, the gap between how we feel and how we appear begins to grow-until one day, maintaining the performance becomes more exhausting than living the truth. Experiencing the belief that one is being judged every moment is a drain on an individual’s energy. But many incredible things happen after an act or performance is over! Real connection (conversations), and where we sit silently (reflection), laughter (the kind of laughter that is genuine) and personal growth occur only when we allow ourselves to be imperfect and authentic.

 

The challenge lies not in abandoning our drive for success, nor in stopping the way that we openly engage with people around us. It is simply to recognise that our lives are not a theatrical performance created for public consumption, nor is success solely determined by how we look or feel as a result of others validating us! Somewhere down the line, we need to ask ourselves an important question: “Do I pursue approval from others or from myself?” The most profound life is not the one that receives most applause or attention but it is the one that feels true, calm and aligned to one’s core. Therefore, the best type of life will not be created as a performance. It is one that doesn’t need applause or validation. It simply needs to be lived.