USA women’s figure skater Alysa Liu recently turned conventional thinking about competition and creativity on its head — and succeeded wildly because of it.
After competing in the 2022 Olympics and finishing 8th, Liu retired from competitive skating at just 16 years old. At that point in her life, her father and coaches largely shaped her training and direction. She was chasing accolades, rankings, and medals — and discovered that those external rewards weren’t worth the sacrifices she was making.
In the quiet that followed life on the world’s biggest stage, something unexpected happened.
Her love for the pure art of skating remained.
With no judges watching and no medals at stake, Liu began skating again — this time for herself. The motivation had shifted. It wasn’t about scores. It wasn’t about podiums. It was about expression.
She rediscovered joy in telling stories with movement — pairing music, costume, and choreography into something personal. But this return required a fundamental change. Unlike when she was 16, Liu insisted on agency. She controlled her training schedule. She took breaks when she needed them. She became an active partner in choreography and music selection. She designed her own costume. She engineered her own on-ice presence.
When Liu took the ice in Milan last week, she was prepared to accept whatever scores the judges gave her. What mattered most was delivering the best performance she was capable of — and sharing that experience with the live audience and the viewers watching around the world.
That mindset is what made the performance triumphant before any medal was awarded.
Internal vs. External Motivation
Liu has something to teach all of us about internal motivation.
As an independent musician, I felt this lesson immediately.
Of course I want album sales. I want turnout at shows. I want applause. In today’s streaming era — where music is often free — those moments can feel like gold medals.
But external rewards are unpredictable. They can’t be the fuel source.
The deeper fuel is self-expression.
I operate with a sense that these songs are in me and need to be let out. There’s a sound, a feeling, a story that has to take shape — for others, if they’re listening, but at the very least for myself.
That internal drive has powered me through eight albums over the years — including two for children. My upcoming release, Asbury Heart (May 15), is my most collaborative to date. I felt compelled to elevate the conversational nature of the songs — to turn several into duets and choose voices that deepen the storytelling. That decision wasn’t about market positioning. It was about honoring what the songs needed.
Alysa Liu’s Olympic performance was already a victory before the scores were read.
That’s the mindset I want to bring to my own recordings and performances — to feel that I’ve fully expressed what I came to say, regardless of what happens next.
Are you more internally or externally motivated in your life?
What might you learn from Alysa Liu’s example?
Drop a comment below.