Standards: How You Get Better At Everything.

The standards you set have a lot to do with the outcomes you achieve.

If you write a paper that is due for class twenty minutes before the class starts, chances are you aren’t going to do so hot when it comes to the grade. The standards you set for that paper were low. Clearly you did not care much about it if you had forgotten it existed until it was due.

Let’s say you had planned that paper out for a week in advance. You got all of your sources and evidence lined up, you pieced it together thoroughly and thoughtfully, and as a result the paper is well organized and informative. This would be you setting a high standard for yourself. You gave the paper your time and attention, and as a result, you are rewarded for it.

So if this is the case, why wouldn’t you apply this way of thinking to the rest of your life?

Why would you give minimal efforts on your workouts, relationships, and work and expect results to just happen?

You need to set higher standards for everything in your life if you want to achieve the desired outcomes that you want.

No more skipping the last set if you haven’t burned your muscles down in your workouts. No more putting that work off until tomorrow because you do not feel like it. No more dealing with people who aren’t going to give you what you need out of the relationship you have with them.

You set standards for yourself because just like grades, with higher standards you achieve higher results. Your workouts start to make a difference when you push yourself a little further. Your work gets done easier and with better quality when you put your mind and attention to it. Your relationships are fulfilling instead of being in constant peril.

There is a saying I love, and that “get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Hold yourself accountable to who you are and what you want out of life. No more allowing things to hold you back because it is comfortable. Stop appeasing comfort, it is only holding you back.

If you recognize this comfort, good you have made the first step to changing your standards. Now hold yourself accountable to them.

From here on out, no more giving in. From here on out, you hold your ground. If it means sacrificing some of the things you love, well so be it. You come first in the equation always.