This weekend, my daughter took the MCAT for the 4th time. Her lifelong dream is to become an obstetrician and deliver babies. An honor student with her Medical Masters, she struggles with standardized tests, and therefore, the multiple attempts at passing the MCAT.
I thought of her this weekend of course, as she took the test, but also when reading a book about discovering your life’s purpose. Robert Schwartz writes, “In life there is no pass or fail. There are only different lessons.” Those simple words knocked me over – how true they are in our lives today!
How many times have we all tried repeatedly to meet a goal or an achievement, only to be thwarted or to fall short of our expectations? Was the result frustration or anger? Did you feel like a failure? I’ve certainly had my fair share of those situations…and yet in retrospect, the eventual outcome was exactly what I needed or better yet, exceeded expectations. The “answer” was not what I thought – there was no pass or fail but the life lesson turned out to be more beneficial than the original quest.
What if we could make our decisions and live our lives as though there were no “answers,” only lessons and choices? How would that affect some of the transitions we face now? What would be different in your life? Would it impact your definition of success? How could giving up “the grade” help you find the Upside?
Please tell us what, if anything, you would do differently if you lived without the pass or fail judgment – we’ll feature your comments in an upcoming blog.
My daughter is already exploring international schools in addition to domestic programs. While it’s not her first choice, I’m betting that the life lesson might be pretty extraordinary if that’s the path she chooses…
Tags: Allison Blankenship, change, free choice, freedom, goals, inspiration, life choice, money, motivation, prosperity, success, unemployed, unemployment
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