More often than not, life will hardly rise to meet your wishes, rather it will settle at the level of your standards. It is the standards you set today that will become a major determinant of your actions, decisions, habits, and will also influence your results. The people that set low standards may think that there is an enemy somewhere limiting them, but they do not know that it is their own low standards and low expectations that is limiting them. But when you raise your standards, your life will naturally rise up to meet them. You have to understand that "not everything goes," learn to have high standards.
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While in school, there were two students I observed, which drew my attention. The first one was so carefree. He just wanted to "pass," so he just read his books when he felt like reading. His aim was just to pass, he was not particular about grade. But the second one had a target to be reading at least 1 hour daily. Over time, the second student became more confident, and he began to perform better than the other student. By the end of the session, his GPA was already about 4.0, while the other student was barely hovering around average. This is to show you how your life's choices heavily depend on the standards you have set for yourself.
It is worthy to note that standards are different from goals. Goals are what you intend to achieve, what you have your focus and your attention on. While standard is a level you are not willing to go below. For example, your goal may be to be disciplined, but your standards can be you will not skip what you have said you would do. Your goal might be to improve your financial state, but your standards can be not to borrow to spend on your wants. While goals can be postponed, standards are non-negotiable. This is the reason why two people can have similar goal, but at the end, they will have two different results, and may even even up in different places. The simple explanation is that their standards are different.
When you set standard, you will grow into it. This is because your standard will shape your daily behaviour. If you have low standards for time management, for example, you will tolerate lateness, excuses, and distraction. But when you have high standards for time management, you will be strict on anything that relates to time, and you will value your time. This will also have positive effects on other aspects of your life. The little actions you take to keep to your standards, over time, will compound to have significant effect on your life. You will begin to see noticeable changes in your life, and you will even see that you are better productive.
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Raising your standards may feel a bit uncomfortable at first. This is because it might require you to let go of familiar habits, old routines, and even some friendships may no longer align with you. You will also discover that you will begin to challenge yourself to do more. For example, if your standard is excellence, you will not settle for half-done work, and you will not also do things halfway. You will prepare more, set more goals, plan better, practise more, and then accept corrections to become better. The discomfort you get when you set your standard is not a sign that you are doing something wrong, rather it is a sign that you are stretching yourself beyond limit.
One thing with all these is that the people around you will also respond to the standards you have created. If you tolerate disrespect, humiliation, mediocrity, and inconsistency, the people around you will also learn from what they have observed, and they will treat you the same way. But when you raise your standards; how you speak, walk, carry yourself, and how you allow yourself to be treated, it will show others how to treat you and relate with you. This is not about pride, neither is it about arrogance nor overinflated ego, but it is about self-respect. It shows that you have intentionally made the decision that your life is too valuable to be lived carelessly.
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