This is the perspective I often shared with my staff, vice principals, students and parents. We all want things to progress smoothly in everything we do at home and at school. Unfortunately it is not a perfect world and we are not perfect people. I often said, “If we expect perfection from others we are bound to be disappointed.” We make mistakes. We sometimes don’t move as quickly or effectively as our teachers, parents or colleagues would like. Our best laid plans often don’t come together neatly between nine and five.
If the child or adult is sincerely working towards the goal but something got in the way, then let’s be happy with the progress we’ve made and be optimistic about what we will accomplish tomorrow. As long as we are improving, getting better and “moving in the right direction” things are good. Let’s focus on what we have accomplished and what we need to do next, not on what we didn’t do.