Not every challenge deserves proof that you could win it.

Not everything that is put in front of you is a genuine question about your ability. Some challenges exist to get a reaction, waste your time, or draw you into a contest on somebody else’s terms, and answering them costs you resources for nothing. The instinct to prove yourself is strong and expensive. Declining is not avoidance when the contest was never worth entering.

When provoked into proving something, ask what winning would actually get you. If the answer is only that someone would stop doubting you, that is rarely worth the price. Let the doubt stand and spend your effort elsewhere.