A standard is a statement about how you live your life, for example, I am a person who is always positive. It specifies what is the level of behavior that you follow. To raise the quality of your life, set higher standards. To achieve financial security, you could say, I am a person, who saves X percent in order to have a financial reserve.
Standards are things you set for yourself, by no longer putting up with less than what you are capable of doing. When you get into the groove of continuously setting new standards for things you tolerate in yourself, you will elevate your pattern of behavior to higher levels and be able to hold yourself to them. Standards are codes of behavior that you choose to live by because you know they will make your life contended. Because they are the things that you personally honor, you need not declare them to the outside world. The standards can be about your work-life balance, health, soul, relationship, approach to finances, and just about any area of life that you wish to improve. The standards are about who you are now, not the promise of what you will become.
People, who set low standards, usually don’t realize it because whatever standards they have set, seem normal. Picking up the gauntlet to do anything different is initially uncomfortable, however, you will not achieve your true potential and will continue to operate on a drain basis. Having low standards entails breaking promises made to oneself and feeling guilty about it. You may be left with a feeling of being cheated because you did not do what could have been doable with your caliber, all this drains energy. People with low standards, tend to run on a low emotional charge, they don’t love or respect themselves enough. A negative spiral begins when self-esteem drops and one doubt’s one’s self-worth. This in turn impacts self-esteem and the cycle repeats itself.
People, who set high standards, feel very good about themselves and other people. They operate from a philosophy of abundance, they recognize that there is enough for everyone and all can win, if they choose to. These people naturally attract other people with high standards, they tend to keep off negative people and refrain from getting close to them. Their high standards, keep them away from negativity. People with high standards tend to put people and relationships before results, appreciating what matters to them in life on a wider spectrum. People with higher standards have higher reserve to cover ups and downs of life, so if you like the sound of having all this, it’s time for you to start setting higher standards for yourself
A good place to start putting in standards is by looking at things, which you are tolerating. We tolerate an awful lot, and may be putting up with our habits, that we would like to stop or change. The path to a successful life is to set a higher standard for things, which you are tolerating in yourself. Look at defining standards that advance your growth as a person, they must be something that you really want. If you set too many standards at one time, you run the risk of being disillusioned with the journey of growth and discovery. Carefully select three to begin with and make sure they are most important to you at this point of time.
Encourage yourself to keep your new standard by setting a penalty to pay if you fail to act as intended or reward yourself if you uphold it. If you need support in upholding your new standard, you can request a friend to check up on you, or keep vigil on your day-to-day actions. Even a simple phone calls every other day, to just say, “ How are you holding up?” can make a difference.
