Self Growth

My favorite part of my grad program is the constant emphasis on self-growth.  The program forces you to truly know yourself.  It is absolutely amazing what you can see when step back and observe your own patterns of behavior.
Recently, I have been extremely mindful of the model I am setting for my sweet girl.  I truly believe that children do what their parents do much more so than what their parents say.  This has led me to reflect upon the character traits I hope to instill in her.  Numerous have come to mind and this will hopefully be an ongoing exercise for me as she grows and matures.  This morning, I came across this quote:  "I will hold myself to a standard of grace - not perfection."  This statement eloquently sums up my hopes for her in regards to self pressure.  I hope that she strives towards showing compassion, kindness, mercy, intelligence - all of these together combine to picture of grace in my mind. I would much rather her look to develop these parts of herself than holding herself to society-based standards.