Why 77%?

It's simple: writing and formatting a newsletter with a "spiritual, but not religious message" is a large undertaking. Publishing 40 out of 52 weeks a year seemed like a much more reasonable goal.

Moreover... a sermonette on "Being Perfect."

What do you think might be on the entrance exam for heaven? More importantly, what percentage of answers do you think you’d need to answer correctly to gain entrance to heaven?

Of course, there is no entrance exam for heaven. It’s a ridiculous idea, isn’t it? Yet sometimes we lead our lives as though we’re preparing for a major exam at the end. I've come to the simple conclusion that we often push ourselves harder than necessary.

Can you even imagine a world in which you required 23% less out of yourself?

That's the idea behind calling the ROTB newsletter: The 77% Weekly.

Life is not pass/fail. We forget that sometimes. We often push ourselves beyond what’s healthy or productive. Of course we have lots of reasons to convince ourselves to keep pushing. It might be because we need to try and prove that we have worth. It might be because we dislike sitting still. Or it might be because we need to create external stress in our lives to justify the anxiety caused simply by being alive.

I challenge you to take some time off and stop pushing yourselves 24/7. Start small. What would it be like to take just 2 minutes off. What would that feel like? I bet that spending 2 minutes of silence alone with your thoughts will teach you more about yourself than the contents of any of self-help book out there.