Maybe that's what this essay is really about: the journey from "What will this say about me?" to "What does this want to become?" From "How can I prove I'm good enough?" to "How can I be present enough to do justice to this moment, this challenge, this opportunity to engage with something larger than my own small anxieties?"

I remember reading about Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist, describing how his best performances came when he stopped trying to prove himself and started simply serving the music. When he shifted from "How do I show everyone I'm a great musician?" to "How do I honor this piece of music in this moment?" something fundamental changed. The ego stepped aside, and... See more