For a long time, the meaning I found in my work came from doing my best every day. No matter what else happened—if I couldn’t make everyone happy that day, if someone was rude or outright mean, if my hard work went unnoticed—I could end the day knowing that I had done my best and trusted the outcome to a Higher Power. And that was enough.

It still is. But now I’m also careful to remember that my best is not the same every day. Lack of sleep, no time to exercise, the goings-on in my life outside of work—lots of things can make me less productive some days than others.

Today I choose to remember that this is not a problem. I am not failing when I don’t meet my own standards for one day. If someone else disagrees, my Higher Power and I can handle that together. So today I choose to give myself the same grace I would give to any other human being.