Believe it or not, many people choose to stick with lower personal and professional standards. Why? It’s simply easier.
In fact, it’s always easier to choose the path of least resistance. Many people would rather stay in their comfort zones than try something new, but comfort zones keep many people (and businesses) stuck in routines for years.
Highly functioning individuals or organizations that execute well and meet their goals almost always have one trait in common: high standards.
The quality of your life, career, and business directly correlate with the standards that you maintain for them. Committing to raising your standards isn’t easy, but doing so results in greater opportunities and growth.
Changing Your Standards with Your Mindset
As with any major change, changing your standards starts with mindset. When you commit to raising your standards, you are committing to changing your thought patterns to match these standards. This can take some hard work and practice, but it’s the only way to truly embody higher standards. Take some time to adjust your mindset around the standards to which you are currently conforming.
1. Commit vs. Try
To begin changing your mindset, you must first change how you talk and think about your standards by replacing the term “try” with “commit.” You have to “commit” to meeting your new standards instead of “trying” to implement them.
When you tell yourself (or tell your team) that you will “try” to implement higher standards in your life or work, you insinuate that you think it’s acceptable to fail. Conversely, when you commit to higher standards, you insinuate that there is no turning back. You are all in. These higher standards are now the new default on which you measure your success.
When you’re truly committed to newer, higher standards, setbacks don’t mean as much. They stop becoming a symbol for your inevitable failure and are simply a part of your journey. Don’t let setbacks discourage you from raising your standards.
2. Habits
Habits are critical to anyone raising their standards. By setting and instilling good habits and eradicating bad habits in your life, you will raise your standards.
The benefit of marrying your standards and habits is that you don’t have to think about how you will behave going forward. When habits align with standards, it becomes easy to embody them.
Adopting new habits is a way to train the brain for success. By starting with small habits (so small that you can’t possibly fail), you can start yourself on the path to success.
Habits help you develop personal accountability. By examining a track record of positive habits, you will encourage yourself to take on more habits, and therefore, raise your standards.
Remember, it’s important to celebrate small wins and milestones when adopting new habits. When you integrate new habits that align with higher standards into your life, practice positive reinforcement by acknowledging personal wins and victories to make these habits stick.
Ways to Raise Your Standards
Your newer, higher standards should be the anthem of your life and business after you’ve committed to them. If you want to have higher standards in communication, you need to become excited about ways to improve it.
Are you looking to have higher standards in the products you produce? Get creative about ways that you can improve them. Embody your new standards until they are undeniably a part of your company’s identity.
Here are some additional ways to raise your standards, whether in life or business.
1. Develop Discipline
Discipline is like a muscle that has to be strengthened. When you raise your standards, you must also strengthen your discipline.
Discipline helps you show up on days when you don’t feel like it. People with truly high standards use discipline on days when they have low motivation, and their track record is proof of that. Create evidence of your higher standards by using discipline to improve your performance.
2. Mimic Your Role Models
Who or what inspires you to raise your standards? Follow their example when you’re looking to implement your new plan into your life.
For businesses, following the example of your role models can be an extremely effective way to match or surpass the standards of the best company in your industry. What do they have that your company can imitate? What makes them successful?
For personal goals, following a role model can also be effective. Who do you admire for their standards, accomplishments, or credentials? Who in your gym always goes the hardest for the longest time? Which of your colleagues consistently demonstrates high performance?
Mimicking your role models will provide you with insight into the discipline and planning you need to implement into your life to raise your standards. Though you shouldn’t become a carbon copy of the people you admire, walking in their shoes is a valuable tool you can use to improve your performance.
3. Be Innovative
Innovation comes from clarity. When you have developed clarity on your vision (i.e., your standards) by developing discipline and mimicking your role models, it’s time to put your own personal spin on how you operate.
Innovative people change the world and set new standards. It’s their big-picture thinking that inspires other people to raise their standards. See how innovative you can get with your practice and your vision for the future.
4. Don’t Compromise
People who compromise on their standards are never really that committed to them in the first place. If your resources allow you to stick to your high standards, compromising should never be an option.
Expect that people will want you to compromise on your standards to make them feel more comfortable. If this is the case, they are not a good fit for your needs. Don’t spend your precious time with them. Surround yourself with ambitious people who support and inspire you.
Think of refusing to compromise as performing a duty to yourself. Some people need your high standards, and they are willing to pay for it. Don’t compromise for people who value you less than those who share your standards.
The Bottom Line
Committing to raising your standards isn’t easy, but it results in greater opportunities and growth, and your hard work will pay off in the long run.
At Arootah, we love helping people implement higher standards in their lives so much that we wrote an ebook about it that is full of helpful tips. Download The Arootah 10 Step Success Formula here.
How are you raising your standards in life? Let us know in the comments!
Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90597167/6-habits-of-the-most-innovative-people