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Ever been curious as to why this newsletter is called the 77% Weekly? Well, here’s the answer: it is published 40 out of 52 weeks of the year. It goes out every Monday, except for the last Monday of the month. 40 divided by 52 is approximately 77%. And in school, 77% was considered a passing grade.
When I named this newsletter, it was because it dawned on me that we push ourselves too hard. We strive to get 100%, we tell ourselves we must get an A or an A+ in this thing called life, and that anything less is unacceptable. We push ourselves so hard that we have this tendency to end up stressed out and missing the point.
Life is not graded — it’s pass/fail.
There was an old joke in rabbinical school:
Q: What do they call the person who graduates at the bottom of the class?
A: “Rabbi.”
The prayer classes I took were pass/fail.
(Wouldn’t it be odd to think I got a “D” in prayer?)
In the same way, life is pass/fail.
Think about this — achieving a 77% passing grade means you can make errors 23% of the time. You can get it wrong 23% of the time, and still pass successfully.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t give myself permission to make that many errors. I hold myself to such a high standard of living that I have to be right all the time. But the reality is, we’re allowed to make all those mistakes. We’re human, after all.
I need to remember to have compassion. I must remember that it’s not about getting an A all the time. I only need to get a 77%.
Regardless of your theology, think for a moment about God’s point of view (we are just using that term for argument’s sake). Would God give you a passing grade? Would God be proud of you just for being you? For dealing with life the very best way you can? I think the answer is a resounding yes.
Spiritual-religious advice: Stop grading yourself. You’re doing OK.
