Setting New Standards
What is the first thing that spring into your mind when I tell you to „set new standards”? What is your immediate association? Do you think of standards of living? Do you imagine yourself in a better apartment, a better home, with more money, buying new clothes and new things? And what if I told you that what I meant was not setting standards for the reality that surrounds you, but for your own self? In a way, that’s akin to raising the bar higher, but not entirely.
Setting a standard means defining quality you do not wish to stoop below anymore. It may consider any sphere of your life – your work, your relationship, your surroundings, your family, your friends, etc. That new quality, in time, will become part of your DNA and will help you build an entirely different life.
What are some of your criteria in choosing friends? Is someone you bond with over alcohol, but only talk shit about other people and nag all the time over a cup of coffee – is such a person really your friend? And what about your job? Does a job that makes you go “fuck, another day of this!” is really a job you should be doing? And is the fact that you are still doing it really excused by the fact that “jobs are scarce today”? What about your partner? Is a partner you feel nothing but resentment towards, or one you feel nothing at all towards – is such a partner really a person for you? Do you still love them, or are you afraid of being left alone? Is the fact that you don’t have the body you would like to have is truly due to “genes” and “thick bones” and “lack of time”, or simply your aptitude in finding excuses not to exercise?
Once you answer all those questions sincerely, you will arrive at a moment ripe for setting some new standards for yourselves. For example I will surround myself with people who not only support me but also inspire me and make me a better person. I will find a job related to my interests at least a little bit, and then one that will provide me with great joy. I will find a partner who will not only give me a feeling of security but will also make me excited to look ahead into my future. I will start exercising regularly and I will finally read up on healthy food and forget that certain products even exist.
Why do all this? And why do you need a nice apartment, nice clothes, gadgets, or a car, or a great partner? To make your life better (I won’t believe your bullshit about not wanting your life to be better). Begin with setting some new standards for yourselves and do all you can to hold the standard high.
Our problem with standards is that we all love to blame “others” or “circumstances” for our lives, stubbornly avoiding any responsibilities for our lives. The truth is, though, that whether you like it or not, everything in your life is a result of your own decisions. Yes – it’s you who decides, and not your boss, not your partner, not society, not family, not “bad luck”. It’s you who decides. Clinging to a bad job, bad partner, bad friends you barely connect with – all that is not “fate”, but standards you set for yourself. You should have the guts to face their consequences. At the end of the day, everything can be reduced to a single factor: what choice will you make?
