In our younger years, we are programmed at an early age to learn that an A means the best. In our early years we went to elementary or grammar school and learn who were the smart kids. We saw their work hanging up on the wall or by glancing over and seeing the proud test taker showing off the 100%. You may have been that student.
Life moves forward and the quest continues into high school and potentially college. Better grades, more A’s and higher standardized test scores provide greater opportunities for college and beyond. Maybe you are the A & B student, swaying between both excellence and pretty good. Don’t worry, there’s a path to success for you too. Not everybody can be a straight A student.
Somewhere along the line you may have taken a class that was different from traditional grading, as it was simply a Pass/Fail. The only motivation is to not put in the amount of effort required to fail. That’s a pretty low bar. For a person who either worked tirelessly for earning an A or for a person who could sleepwalk to an A, it almost felt insulting that such a course existed. For whatever the reason, you took it, and enjoyed the opportunity to catch your breath.
Fast forward just a bit, oh, say twenty or so years….maybe a bit longer. You achieved many goals in life. Starting a career and grinding to the top, for many, doing so on top of marriage and raising a family. As your family grew and time passed, you even revisited those darn A’s again. However this time, you lived vicariously through your children. You just want them to have the same successes and opportunities you had, and you know which side of the grading scale makes that life journey easier.
Ironically, with my career path, I never grew out of the grading scale. As a teacher, as a principal, and now back to a teacher, I could never escape the grades.
Recently I listened to one of my favorite financial podcasts and one discussion really resonated with me. I listened intently while the host and guest talked about their portfolios. The guest shared how at her current phase of life, she doesn’t lose sleep if she misses a chance to increase her portfolio by 1%. She discussed looking at her financial health as a pass or fail grade.
As I continued to ponder this, I kept going back to grace. I have never been one who’s good at providing myself grace. Throughout my fourteen years as a school principal, it was probably my best quality as a boss, but for myself, if I wasn’t earning an A, I was failing at my job.
What if we all could just slow down in life and instead of rat-racing ourselves for straight As, we provide ourselves with more grace and accept that we’re probably doing better than we think we are? We’re not failing. We’re doing pretty good, and that pretty good equates to a passing grade.
I’ve entered a new phase in my life where the following quote sums up why I’m no longer chasing the grades:
“I give grace because I so desperately need it.” —Lysa Terkeurst
Wherever you are in life’s journey, I hope you reflect on your exhaustive chase for a straight A report card. Provide yourself with more grace and you’ll discover greater peace in your life.
