Reflect

In his 2024 graduation speech at Dartmouth College, tennis star Roger Federer declared, “You can work harder than you thought possible and still lose. Perfection is impossible.” Hmm…wasn’t it his perfection that led to winning eight Wimbledon championships? Federer went on to explain that despite his winning record, he won only 54% of the total points in all his professional matches combined. 54%. He was, he was telling us, not perfect. Excellent, yes. Dedicated, yes. Incredibly talented and hardworking, yes. Perfect? No. When the goal of perfection supersedes the goals of growth, joy, or excellence, we can find ourselves stuck watching life from the courtside rather than playing the game. Living gratefully invites you to replace the goal of perfection with the goal of living fully. It’s a reminder that winning 54% of the points can add up to something truly extraordinary.