... QUESTION:
"What standards do you hold yourself accountable?" I realize that
MANY of us don't have any type of standard. Standards are important because
they mean "consistency, a model, a base component, unchanging". The
opposite of this would be something that is "variable" -- changes,
unstable, wavering, unsteady and unreliable. It is important that we connect to
SOMETHING that will serve as our standard so that we can hold ourselves
accountable and more importantly MEASURABLE.
I'm 5'0" tall, and the "standard weight" for my frame
would be somewhere around 120 lbs. I'm clearly 100 lbs OVER my standard weight
-- in this instance, I'm NOT OPERATING EFFECTIVELY nor efficiently; my heart
has to work 2-3x as hard to pump, my blood pressure is elevated, I'm easily winded
and I'm wearing larger clothes -- just to name a few of the adverse effects of
NOT be aligned with my "standard". So in this area, I have failed to
meet the standard and if I want to have a BETTER LIFE, I would first need to:
1.) RECOGNIZE and ADMIT I've fallen below the standard; 2.) want to change; 3.)
create a plan of action and 4.) put the plan of action in motion.
Now
conversely, there is another standard in which I have met or exceeded --
working in excellence. This standard requires that whatever mission or task you
take on, you operate with a "standard of excellence"; meaning, no
shortcuts that would compromise your ethics or compromise the integrity of
others; you are RELIABLE and DEPENDABLE -- you are "the person that gets
the job done" and "the go to guy"; a service or product of
excellence is EXPECTED from you because those around you know the higher level
in which you operate. It can be as simple as taking on the task to provide a
meal for an event -- things WILL happen of course, but you have a standard to
uphold no matter what -- even if one of the meals you were preparing
accidentally burns, you have a STANDARD that won't allow you to serve THAT MEAL
and you will find a resource to replace that dish -- because you have A
STANDARD.
Standards change as we evolve and change -- as you practice operating
within your standard you will eventually outgrow it where it needs to be
changed -- this is a good thing; it means that now you are called to an even
HIGHER LEVEL of accountability because YOUR STANDARDS ARE HIGHER. I'm encouraging
those of you today, who DO NOT have a standard they currently live by, to seek
one out, attach yourself to it, and live by it with every fiber of your being.
Ask yourself today – can anyone “STAND” on who I am and what I have to offer?
If the answer is “no”, do something about it.
