When Everything is Made Up and the Points Don't Matter

My favorite half hour as a young teen was watching old reruns of "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" The host's opening always made me smile: "Welcome to Who's Line Is It Anyway, where everything is made up and the points don't matter."

That line has followed me through the years, surfacing in moments when I need it most.

This week has been particularly challenging - one of those times when everything feels heavy and uncertain. When my wife asked how I was doing, I found myself saying those familiar words: "everything is made up and the points don't matter."

But I wasn't being defeatist. I was remembering something important.

I was remembering that so much of what we stress about - the systems we navigate, the expectations we carry, the approval we seek - these are constructs we've collectively agreed upon. And if they're made up, if the "points" we're chasing don't actually define our worth, then perhaps I'm freer than I remember.

Free to live according to what I actually value.

I've spent years shrinking from my own voice, that familiar tightness in my chest whenever I'm about to share something real. The fear of criticism has kept me playing small, choosing safety over authenticity. But this week, something shifted.

I realized that when I silence myself out of fear, I'm not just limiting my impact - I'm dishonoring the intention I hold for my life. I'm choosing the approval of strangers over the call of my own heart.

And for what? For points that ultimately don't matter?

The only points that truly matter are the ones I give myself. The moments when I choose courage over comfort. When I lead with my heart, even when my hands are shaking. When I do what feels right, even when it's not easy.

In a world where so much feels arbitrary, I'm learning to measure myself by my own compass. Not by likes or praise or external validation, but by whether I'm living in alignment with my deepest values.

Am I showing up authentically? 

Am I contributing to the more beautiful world I can feel is possible? 

Am I choosing love over fear?

These are the questions that matter. These are the points worth counting.

When we remember that everything is made up and the points don't matter, we remember that we get to choose. We get to decide what matters. We get to live for ourselves.

And that might be the most liberating realization of all.