You still have the idea that you are to be perfect in the eyes of the world. Since you have adopted the eyes of the world, you expect yourself to be perfect in every page of your life. In so doing, you impose upon yourself. You impose markers that you cannot fulfill, or cannot fulfill all the time, or cannot fulfill without great wear and tear. You don’t have to have A+’s all the time. You don’t have to have A’s or B’s or even C’s. Better no grades at all.

When you have to forge your way across a river and you get to the other side, you do not grade yourself. You do not say: “I could have done better. I could have done it faster. I could have done it more easily. I could have not gotten so wet. I could have crossed at a different spot…” You don’t give yourself a grade. You crossed the river. You succeeded. Too often when you rate yourself, you have been berating yourself and finding yourself wanting.

And if it happened that you did not get across the river, if you turned back, that could have been the right thing to do as well. Perhaps you will cross it another day, or perhaps you will go a different route. Who is to say that not getting across the river was a mistake? Who is to say that you are less because you didn’t cross or more because you did? Truly, what is at stake at every crossing of the river? Perhaps it doesn’t have to be crossed. Perhaps it’s just fine to have stayed on one side of the river.

It would give Me great joy if My children would let go of the idea of failure in all its gradations. There is no medal that you must win. From where I sit, there is no doing not well, for I know you do as well as you can at any one moment. I never want you to lash yourself. Wherever you go in life, whatever you do, it’s okay. It’s done. And now there is today.

You cannot fail at life. It is your life, and you live it as you live it from day to day as best you can each day.

Life is more than to survive, yet there is no requirement to be a front runner.

Certainly, you want to stretch yourself sometimes, but not all the time. It is also good to relax yourself. Don’t strain in life. Christ did not overwork himself. He took the time to enjoy his walk on Earth. He traveled light.

Your life on Earth is not meant to be a test you take. Your life is to live, and so you live it and honor yourself in so doing. Perfection is usually not worth the price you pay for it. It is better to be kind than to excel.

Life is really not a race you run. There is no hurry. You can amble through life. Life is not something you have to win at all the time. You win by enjoying your life and not by setting new records. What is it exactly that you feel you have to achieve? What race is it that you think you are running? What is so urgent about life?

Don’t retire from life, nor strain in life. Graze. Enjoy. And if you must run a race, run it well. And if you come in first or last, cheer yourself just the same.