There are lots of ways to focus more on gratitude and less on what’s going wrong.

We love authenticity and we know that life is messy and imperfect.” Plus, as author and wise woman Brené Brown puts it, “…the truth is that we are actually drawn to people who are real and down-to-earth. Perfectionism can be a big obstacle to happiness. Perfection is not something we can actually be or achieve. Here are some practical, everyday ways to give yourself some grace. The more grace you give, the better you will feel. It’s a trial-and-error process that should be applied to daily life, well, daily.Īnother way to frame it? Think of giving grace as giving people (that includes you) the benefit of the doubt. Like any new modus operandi, it will take some practice to get the hang of giving yourself some grace, just like it takes practice to do yoga or run a mile. Giving yourself grace means making the choice to interact with the world – and yourself – with goodwill and kindness. When you allow yourself to give yourself grace, you flip that a little bit: treat yourself as well as you’d treat others. There’s a saying that goes something like this: treat others the way you would want to be treated. Fun fact: Learning to extend grace to yourself is just as important (maybe even more so) than offering grace (AKA slack, a hall pass, a do-over) to others.

What does it look like to give yourself grace, though? For many of us, that’s a stickier wicket. That’s what giving grace to others looks like. But you? You remain serene, kind and loving. Your toddler drops a red popsicle on your white sofa. Maybe you’re prone to giving grace to others, easily understanding that as human beings we get things wrong even when - sometimes especially when - we truly want to get them right. Marvelous because 1) it’s a deeply great feeling and 2) because we may marvel that our friend or colleague chose grace, even though it would be reasonable for them to feel anger or disappointment. Grace given to us by another person is a marvelous feeling. You forget to do something important for another person, but instead of being angry or disappointed, they show you unconditional forgiveness, kindness and love. You know it when you receive it and you know when you give it.

What does giving grace mean