By now you’ve probably seen the clips. Alysa Liu at the Olympics, performing like someone who genuinely cannot wait to show you what she has created. The striped hair, lip piercing, flowy dress, and unconventional choreography. She looked like she was having a ton of fun, unlike most of her competitors, who seemed overwhelmed by the massive stress of competing at the highest level of their sport.
There’s a term floating around social media now: Alysa Liu core. And while it started as an aesthetic reference to her unique style, I think it’s pointing at something more interesting and more powerful than a look or a vibe.
After her short program, she was in third place. By conventional logic, that’s the moment to grip tighter, play it safe, fiercely focus. Instead, she went out for the free skate, and did the opposite: She loosened her grip, didn’t play it safe or serious. Instead, she looked like someone with artistic freedom. Someone who loved performing. Someone radiating joy.
And then, she won the gold.
Later, she told reporters that she “just tried to share her story.”
Her story was about burning out and retiring at 16. Her story was about rediscovering joy in her work and in her life. Her story was about learning to give herself grace. Her story was about taking control over her skating, her training, and everything that came with it.
At age 18, before she ever laced up her skates again, she sat down and wrote out her conditions. She would choose her own music. She would have creative input on her programs. No one would control what she ate (she was tired of starving!), what she wore, or when to train. She presented this list — to her father, to her coaches — and she didn’t come back until they agreed.
Just a teenager, she already knew something it takes most of us years — sometimes decades — to figure out. That waiting for permission to do it your way is its own kind of trap. That the conditions under which you show up matter.
Joy is not a reward for winning. It’s a strategy.
She had no leverage except the clarity of knowing exactly what she needed to do her best work — and the courage to say so out loud.
If you’re operating under your own conditions now, good for you! And if you are not, here’s a few tips for arriving at conditions that allow you to do your best work:
- Begin by auditing the conditions you’re operating under. What enables you to thrive and what holds you back? Contributing factors could be the organization you work for, the environment you work in, the role you play, or how you show up. (More on this in my recent newsletter on whether you should stay or go).
- Write your conditions list. What do you need to show up as the best, most creative, empowered version of you? This could be the hours you work, the type of projects you work on, fair compensation or something else entirely. Don’t limit yourself. Some of what you need might be attainable now and some of it might take time to intentionally pursue.
- Identify one condition you can change right now. Think about it. What is the one thing that would make your day-to-day work-life better? More flexibility? More support from your manager? Formal recognition for your contributions? Only you can determine this.
- Say it out loud. Once you’ve arrived at this one thing, bring it to your manager whose support you need to make it real. This doesn’t have to be an awkward conversation – consider something like:
“I’ve been thinking about what would make me feel excited and fulfilled at work. I realized I need more challenging work. Can you help me get assigned to a high-profile project so I can stretch my skills and work with experts from other departments?”
You don’t have to compete in the Olympics or wait until you’re a senior leader to know what you need to thrive. Ask yourself now. Your future, more joyful self will thank you.
You’re equipt to stop waiting for permission,
One more thing before you go: The Work Like a Girl State of Women at Work Survey wants to know what work actually feels like for women right now. It’s quick, it’s anonymous, and it closes mid-March. We’d love for our community to be well-represented in the data.
