PRESENTEDBY

SCOTT ODIGIE

PERSONAL STANDARDS

WHAT ARE PERSONAL STANDARDS?

They are the set of behaviours or beliefs that we have decided to

live by.

People who set high standards tend to feel very good about themselves. They tend to feel good about others too. They

tend to be very attractive to high quality people.

Standard is not about having expectations; it is about you and

not them. Having standards is not having an endless list of

requirements for your spouse, friends, colleagues,

subordinates, boss, children etc, but you!

DO WE ALL HAVE PERSONAL STANDARDS?

We all have a “behind-the-scenes” set of rules governing our conduct and outlook. They

are reflected in the quality of our relationships, our work and the

way we communicate.

We reveal our standards to people all the time. If you

haven’t actively created your standards-then where have they

come from?

SOURCES OF IMPOSED PEROSNAL STANDARDS: standards are imposed on us from the outside from

the day we are.

Our parents

Education

The Media

Society

Culture

WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?

Having outside generated standard is a problem because it can be a cause of discontent in

our lives

If you are measuring yourself up to something that you have not decide to be true for you, then

that makes authentic happiness a difficult thing to achieve.

RECOGNIZING THE PERSONAL STANDARDS YOU LIVE BY

Your personal standards are reflected in how you treat

yourself, and also in how you treat other people. They are also reflected in how you expect to be treated by other people.

Your personal standards are also reflected in the promises you

keep, in the way you dress and manage your life, health,

finances and environment.

They are also reflected in the quality of your work values and

communication. In fact, everything you do and say gives

others an indication of the personal standards you live by.

You are therefore always sending messages about how you feel

about yourself, about others and about your life, whether you are consciously aware of it or not.

SIGNIFICANCE OF PERSONAL STANDARDS

1. They make you entirely self-validating: it takes the

focus away from outside markers of success, putting them entirely in the province of the personal.

2. Puts you in control: not setting standards would just make you passive bystander.

Having clear standards puts you at the steering wheel of your life.

3. They create something measurable to assess your goals and progress against:

we have all heard that happiness is in the attainment of goals.

4. They are a better way to define yourself: defining yourself by

reference to the standards you create is far more logical than defining

yourself by your gender, background or sexuality.

5. They enable you to make better decisions: knowing what’s important to your happiness and

fulfilment takes procrastination out of the equation.

6. They will free you up from others’ misconception

of you: we will always be misunderstood at times.

HOW TO RAISE YOUR STANDARDS?

1. Clarify your expectations: your first step is to clarify what it is

exactly you want to achieve. It’s after all impossible to set standards

if you don’t know what it is you want.

What do I want to

achieve?

Whom do I seek to

become?

What traits would I need to cultivate

to achieve this goal?

What new behaviours would I need to adopt?

How would I ideally like to live my life having achieved

this goal?

2. Analyze your current reality: your current

reality is the life you are living at this very moment.

Consider what kind of life this really is and the types of

behaviours that define your actions and results. Ask

yourself:

What standards do I currently

live by?

What standards do I have for

myself in various situations?

What behaviours and actions do I partake in within these situations?

What standards do I have for the roles I play in my

life

3. Find inspiring mentors: your next step is to find appropriate

mentors. These will be people who are currently living to the highest of

standards in specific life areas…

… that you are wanting to focus on. The purpose here is to use them as inspiration to help you

raise your own personal standards.

4. Establish your own standards: it is now time to set some clear standards and expectations for each area of

your life.

In other words, you must identify a set of standards you

will follow. These standards effectively become the rules

you live by.

5. Discipline: the final step of this process is to discipline yourself to help instil the

motivation you need to follow through with these rituals, and

…subsequently live your life in accordance with your higher personal

standards.

Raising your personal standards is never an easy process. You will need to break old patterns of

behaviour and develop new rituals and habits that will provide…

…you with the impetus you need to make positive changes to your

life. As such, the following guidelines and suggestions

might be of some value.

Become self-

aware

Develop appropriate rituals

Set performance standards

Learn from

mistakes.

Avoid comparis

on

Don’t get complac

ent

Don’t lower your standards

Take Risks

CONCLUSION

Raising your personal standards would make

you more fulfilled in life. Thank you for listening.