We all live by certain standards.  Standards are normal behavioural measurements based on the expectations of society, culture, family and many other factors.  Standards are what we base our wants, desires, wishes and expectations on.  We look at others and compare ourselves to their material and personal gains.  We wish for what others have or achieved and compare it to ourselves if we haven’t achieved those things.  Or standards might be instilled within ourselves.  Certain expectations of ourselves that we feel we need to always meet.  For example, brushing our teeth every day to maintain a healthy mouth or showering regularly.   These standards are set as a means to provide guidelines.  If we follow these guidelines we can achieve certain results that follow after meeting and surpassing those guidelines.

Now that we know we all have standards, what type of standards do we set for ourselves?  Basic standards involve, getting up every day, maintaining cleanliness, going to work or school, eating, coming home and going to sleep all to start all over again the next day.  If we follow these normal standards we will lead normal lives, much like most individuals on this earth.  But, amongst the very normal mass we have the few abnormal ones who surpass these standards and do and attain far more in life than what is basic.  Those individuals are the ones who we all look up too, our heros or role models.  The celebrities or the rich and elite who have so much more than the basic standards.

Now, I’m not saying that we all have to live and want to be rich and super elite so that we can get EVERYTHING in the world.  No!  What I’m trying to point out is the differences in the standards of these two groups, normal vs. abnormal.  We all have to set certain standards for ourselves instead of following the standards of what others expect from us.  When we follow other standards we fail to discover who we are as individuals.  The normal person will follow standards set forth by others who have done it before.  The abnormal person will be the one to set standards for others to follow.  This person will do something out of the norm by realizing his/her potential thus, achieving great results.  That is the difference.  I want us all to be abnormal in the sense that we set our own standards.

I always aspired to live a certain lifestyle one day.  Instead of aspiring to do so, I made it my standard.  I told myself that I would not live another day without meeting those expectations from myself.  I want to live a health conscious life so I set the standard that I expect myself to workout by going to the gym at least twice a week, combine that with yoga three times a week and to eat healthy and regularly.  This expectation might not seem like a lot to another individual who already has this as his/her standard.  But, for me, I needed to set this guideline and force myself to meet and surpass this as a way to assure my personal development.  Now that I have set this as my standard, I expect this out of myself all the time.

We don’t all have to set standards of becoming the richest or most successful person in the world.  But, we all do have to set individual standards for ourselves based on what we really value.  I expect a lot out of myself because I set high standards based on my dreams and vision.  I will build who I am by meeting and surpassing these standards every day, week, month and year till the day I die.  I want to do this to build positive habits and to realize my full potential.  I know I can achieve anything I want, but, if I don’t know what I want, by ways of my standards, then how will I ever know if I’ve achieved it?

Time to reflect:

Do you have standards or are you following the norms of society?  Going forward, set standards for yourself based on your own needs and wants, not those of others.  Set simple expectations of yourself like volunteering once a month, or having dinner with your mother every 3rd weekend of the month.  By setting these standards based on what you want out of your life, you will be able to gauge your personal growth and you will reach your full potential.  You will be able to do this because, you will finally realize what your full potential is.  

“Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to”. ~ Greg Anderson