Forget goals, set standards!

Goal - the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behaviour intended to achieve it; "the ends justify the means."

Goals, we all have them and we all strive towards them. They give us purpose, meaning, and direction. Providing a guideline for our lives with milestones and celebrations. There is no disputing the fact that goals are an important part of human behaviour.

But what happens after we reach the goal?

what happens after we reach the finish line?

Goals by definition, must come to an end.

Take for example, one of the most common goals and struggles facing North America, weight loss. There are countless organizations making millions of dollars helping individuals reach their weight loss goals. However, America still suffers with an increase in morbid obesity and weight loss challenges.

What happens after (The Biggest Loser?).

Once the goal is achieved it must come to an end it has no choice, it is a goal.

Standards on the other hand, are the gift of habit. Practice makes habits, and good habits based on your standards live on and linger.

If my standard is to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle each and every day. My mind set is long term. It is not focused on a beginning and an end, but rather a way of life. Reaching a goal may give us the chemically released reward and high, but without the standard to begin with, it will surely be short lived.

I am not in any way saying that goals are not important, that they are not beneficial. Nor am I suggesting that standards are the answer to weight loss challenges.

Standards are based on our values, and when we create a deeply meaningful commitment, coupled by recognizing and practicing habits that are in line with our standards and values, we have a fighting chance to create long lasting sustainable change.

Think of one goal in your life you are struggling to achieve.
Now imagine that you set a standard around this goal.
Next, imagine that you ask yourself each day, are my actions in line with my standard? what can I do to ensure this?


When you add standards it is important to do the following:

 WRITE THEM DOWN

 BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC

 ADD SLOWLY_ Don’t create this mass of standards you cannot live up to you will only disappoint.

 CREATE DAILY ACTIONS-Revolving around your standards. Practice makes habit. Make sure your actions are constantly revolving around your standards. I am a vegetarian, yes this means every day I don’t eat meat, not even if you cook me Lamb~!

 COMMIT: Tell yourself it is bad luck to not meet this standard, or whatever works for you. In a way it is true, if you don’t commit to your standards your conscience will haunt you, you will ultimately fail to achieve what you want most in life. I call that pretty bad luck~!

 CELEBRATE THEM: Feel good about your standards. Look around your life and acknowledge the standards you are already meeting. Recognize how they serve you and have made your life what you want and how you want it.


PRACTICE MAKES HABIT!

"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act but rather a habit." -Aristotle-