If you're anything like me, you were taught that grades and GPA are the most important factors in being successful. Your GPA determines what colleges you get into. In college, your GPA determines what job you get. When this is the mindset, students automatically strive for all A’s. For perfection. Success is important and we want to be the best at everything we do, but this isn’t always realistic. It is okay not to make an A.

Why?

Because grades are not the most important thing in life and perfection doesn't happen in this world.

We have social lives, we play sports, we spend time with our families, we listen to podcasts, we workout. We should take the time to do things outside of school. Because school ends. It isn't our whole life. It's a major part, it determines a lot of things in the future, but in the typical life span of human beings, school takes up a minute part of it.

In the real world, certain decisions have to be made like choosing between what's important and what's not. The question I like to ask is, are you going to remember this in five years?

That test your stressing over, will it affect you so much that in five years you'll still remember it? As in, will it keep you from passing the class and graduating? If the answer is yes, then take a deep breath and study until you got it! If the answer is no, then you can make the conscious decision not to get worked up about it. Take some time for yourself, and do the best you can.

Making priorities is one of the best skills you can learn from school. Prioritizing your grades, social life, etc. It's important to maintain balance in your life. So remember, it's okay not to make an A.