Raise Your Standards
What is the difference between something you should do and something you absolutely must do? When we talk about standards of living, many people wrongly assume you need to start “dressing for the job you want, not the one you have” or move into a more expensive area with people from a different socioeconomic level. No. Today we are talking about your personal standards, the ones you carry inside you.
Have you ever told yourself things like:
- “I should eat better” or
- “I should start working out” or
- “I should start going to bed earlier instead of watching five episodes of Black Mirror on Netflix.”
People build a lifestyle and a way of thinking, their standards of living, from a very early age. It is usually shaped by parents, childhood friends, teachers. Take a minute and think about how you approach broad topics such as politics, money management, or the way you raise your kids. You will notice many similarities with the behaviors of family members or close friends.
That is normal for everyone. The problem is that it also applies to what you believe you can achieve in life. Many friends I grew up with in the 90s who came from middle or lower-middle class families are still stuck at that level today and feel unhappy. They had all these dreams and potential while growing up, but one day they decided it would not be possible to launch their own business, or go to the US to study for an MBA even with a scholarship, or attend that app competition in Paris to present their project.
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These limits people place on themselves, consciously or unconsciously, appeared because one day they saw that a certain norm was accepted by society, their family, and/or friends, and they developed a comfort zone. Something they could control, where they felt safe, and where they never felt the need to make their dreams come true.
How do I raise my standards to change my life?
When you absolutely must do something, as if your life depended on it, a shift happens inside you. If eating healthier meant the difference between living or dying, you would most likely do it. The same goes for exercise and treating your partner with respect. If your life depended on it, you would make the necessary changes.
Identify your current standards
It is important to determine where you have limits. If you are working in an office with a decent salary but always wanted to launch your own business, maybe you never did it because you felt too comfortable in your current position. Think about how you could change that so you can start your business.
Identify the standards you want to reach
Think about your deepest dreams, those childhood desires that still make you dream but that you have never taken action on. Start picturing what your life would look like once you achieve them.
Create a map
Design your map in a way that forces you to achieve them with no excuses. Put yourself in the mindset of “If I do not achieve this, I am done.” When you turn your dream into a life-or-death necessity, you no longer have any option but to make it happen.
Self-discipline
Starting the change is the first step, but having the discipline to repeat it every day until it becomes your routine is the key.
How do you define yourself? And when did you start believing that? How many years ago did you decide what you could and could not do in your life? Do you not think it is time to raise your standards, turn your “I should do it” into “I must do it,” and give yourself a new identity?
Read also: The importance of asking the right questions