Raise Your Standards Before You Raise Your Goals

The Problem

Everyone wants more.

A better career.

A stronger body.

A successful business.

More freedom.

So they set bigger goals every January, every Monday or after every setback.

But goals are easy to write.

Standards are harder to live.

You can dream about extraordinary results while still accepting ordinary habits.

And that's where most people get stuck.

The Shift

Goals tell you where you want to go.

Standards decide whether you'll get there.

Your standard is how you work when nobody is watching.

It's the quality you're willing to accept.

It's the promises you keep to yourself.

The fastest way to change your future isn't to dream bigger.

It's to stop accepting less.

The Practice

Choose one area of your life where you've become comfortable.

Ask yourself:

"If excellence were my standard, what would I do differently?"

Then make one permanent improvement.

Not a dramatic one.

A consistent one.

Reflect

What standard have you accepted that no longer represents the person you're becoming?

Thought of the Week

"Goals inspire you. Standards define you."

EXCLUSIVE

Known by many. Obtained by few.