The 2026 Winter Olympics wrapped up this past weekend and they introduced a few new household names. There’s a good chance you’ll recognize the skater pictured on top of the podium below:

In case you’ve somehow missed the onslaught of Olympic media coverage, that’s Alysa Liu, a 20-year-old American figure skater who just won Olympic gold in women’s singles at the 2026 Winter Games, ending a 24-year U.S. gold medal drought in the event.

Alysa is a former U.S. national champion who stepped away from the sport as a teenager, came out of retirement, and just won Olympic gold in women’s figure skating. Since her return, she’s become known for for her extreme authenticity and laid-back persona.

There’s a narrative forming that Alysa won because she “doesn’t care.” That by staying emotionally detached, she somehow stumbled into a gold medal, but that misses the point.

In her short program, Alysa planned the highest base-value combination in the entire event. Not exactly something someone who’s phoning it in would do. Sounds more like someone who was prepared and showed up ready to execute.

What stands out isn’t that she avoided caring. It’s that she cares deeply about the right thing. Alysa has said repeatedly that she just wants to display her art, and if she medals as a result, that’s great too. In her interview on 60 Minutes, she talks about how struggle makes her feel alive. Working towards something is what motivates her, not the podium or medals. (I strongly recommend watching the full 13-minute interview, the rest of her comeback story is amazing)

That’s a subtle but important difference. Alysa didn’t detach from the work, she detached from the outcome.

Alysa’s approach embodies a principle that Stoic philosophers have been writing about for thousands of years: focus on what you can control, and let go of what you can’t.

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Book 12)

Being intentional, directing your energy toward work, process, and performance and letting the rest fall where it may is the stoic approach.

You can control your preparation, your effort, and your attitude, but you can’t control judges, competitors, or the outcome on the scoreboard.

This idea doesn’t belong only to the Stoics. It shows up in other traditions too. Take the Serenity Prayer, credited to American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”

This is the same principle in a different language: put your energy where it matters, and don’t waste it on what’s out of your hands.

In my experience, decisions gets a lot clearer this way.

See you next week,
Nate