Talk to my God like He’s remote, unloving or ominous. He is not the god of dimly-lit shrines, forbidding intermediaries or blood oaths taken at midnight. He is closer than my skin, more in love with me than I can be with myself and more open than the sky.

Compare myself with other people. Each person has their own lane, they decide their own pace and set their own goals. I will not reduce life to a miserable contest.

Fight emotions. I am not made of stone. If happiness wants to overflow, I allow it. If tears well up, I let them fall.

Hold grudges. What good does an unforgiving spirit do, and whose soul has vengeance helped?

Complain without trying to define a course of corrective action. Only a helpless child is allowed to whine and do nothing. Everyone else must follow up with an attempt to rectify their situation.

Feel ashamed of my flaws or apologise for shortcomings I cannot do anything about. You will accept that I am human and a work-in-progress or you will walk away.