Cap & Gown Optional

After almost four years evaluating myself on forty one attributes for a series I named "My Grade (So Far)", it's graduation time. I began by giving myself a "C" for ambition in February 2012 and ended with a "B" for vulnerability this September. Nearly every month in between I asked folks to consider the dictionary-defined attribute and then join me by giving themselves a grade. Though not many chimed in publicly, some folks told me offline the long running exercise in self-scrutiny was helpful to them, grades notwithstanding. Good enough.

Reviewing all my grades - easy to do with the handy search feature of blogger - I noticed a few that might already require adjusting; a future post or two perhaps? For anyone who tried the exercise even once, I'd be curious to know what - if anything - has shifted for you or what has remained constant. I'm most proud of how I continue to deserve my "A" for loyalty (October, 2012). On the other side, my "C-" for generosity (July, 2012), and C's for both wisdom (July, 2014) and flexibility (May, 2015) remain developmental priorities. For my worst grade - a "D+" for panache (February, 2014) - I'm leaving well enough alone - old dog, new tricks, etc.

Even doing the rough math in my head, it's clear I didn't make Dean's list. But I'm keeping my final grade point average to myself and unless one of you goes first, I'm also skipping giving myself a grade for pride.