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We all have standards for ourselves. These are often unconscious and many of them may be supporting us while the opposite is also true.

These personal standards can be describes as a set of behaviours, beliefs and actions we consciously or unconsciously decide to live by. They govern how we live our life and effect every area of it. This includes how much rest you get, your stress levels, how tidy your house is, how your day is structured, the boundaries you have in place with yourself and in relationships, how much money you have, the quality of your relationships, how close you are to achieving your health goals etc.

To measure them we think of them as either low, zero, or high, at one hundred, and everything in between or a spectrum. However, remember whatever level your standards are at on that spectrum in relations to a certain area in your life, you results and circumstances will be reflect that standard.

Our standards can also include things as simple as how well you wash your teeth, how precise you are when painting a wall, how well you clean your bathroom, how well you hydrate yourself, how well you maintain a positive mindset etc.

The easiest way to identify your standards in a certain area is to look first at your results. In the area of health and fitness if you are feeling tired, sluggish, low, lacking energy, are sedentary and your clothes are getting a bit tight this will be a reflection of your standards for yourself in the area of health. If you continue to live by low standards improvement can’t happen so taking a closer look at your standards in that area and committing to increasing them will transform your results.

To increase your standards level in any particular area here are eight essential steps:

1. Decide on an area you have identified in your life that you would like to enjoy better results.
2. Once identified get crystal clear on the feeling (or feelings) you would like to feel in that area and write them down.
3. From knowing the feelings you want to feel go deeper and get clear on the reason ‘why’ this is important to you.
4. With the spectrum measuring from 0 to 100 and 0 being the lowest standard, where are you currently on the spectrum in this area?
5. Be brutally honest with yourself. Ask yourself, currently, what exact behaviours are you doing to create this low score on this standard? Slowly go through your day and take lots of notes. Your behaviours mirror your standards giving you a clear picture.
6. Ask yourself what are you no longer willing to tolerate in relation to your own behaviour going forward? Write a list of these eg if it in the area of finance you could decide not to tolerate spending money buying lunch out every day and take a home-made lunch to work. If it is a health standard it could be deciding on healthier snacks than the sugary ones you have been having or a weekly step goal rather than having none and then sticking to it.
7. To make any change action needs to be an ingredient and to achieve a higher standard and more importantly to maintain it, constant action is required. Make a list of supporting action steps that you will commit to in this area. You can start gently and build it up.
8. Keep a very close eye on your ‘why ‘and how you want to feel and regularly assess if your standards of behaviour are still aligned with your ‘why’. Remember not applying this eight step will result in you lowering your standards to your previous level.

Even when life throws curve balls be mindful to not fall back on old ways. If your car breaks down and you can’t drive to the gym but you are working on a fitness goal, stay focused on your standard of behaviour for you and decide on an alternative way to exercise to maintain that standard.

Take your time and focus on increasing one standard at the time, this is your opportunity to really raise the bar on your life.

A Word of Caution: Being fixated on very high standards in all areas can be destructive and create a lot of stress. Remember to be balanced on picking your areas and the levels to which you want to achieve. Knowing your why will help with this to avoid your standards being driven by fear which can be destructive rather than supportive.