Standards And Being Who We Are
Photo by kerry rawlinson on Unsplash
Setting standards is important.
Standards help us define the level at which we’re performing and, in the event, we’re not at par, how far we need to go to get there. Standards serve a real purpose as they push us to be better - to master our craft, change the way we think and deliver greater value, both to ourselves and others.
But what constitutes an appropriate standard? What’s considered “average” versus “excellent”? With experience and practice, we tend to develop our own sense of what that might be - and with the right amount of experience and practice, our sense may well be very accurate.
Until we’ve developed that sense, though, we’ll naturally look to others for guidance. Role models who’ve demonstrated high performance in our chosen field(s). They act as our guides, showing us what we need to do, how we need to work, how to get there.
As we embark on that journey, and model and measure ourselves against those standards, we must do what’s needed. Study the details, assess our deficiencies, and put in the hours to raise our own level. There’s no excuse for a lack of effort, because then we have no one to blame but ourselves.
At the same time, we also need to be thoughtful in the process, thoughtful to who we actually are.
We need to understand what we’re trying to achieve, who we’re trying to be - to which the answer can only be ourselves. There will never be another Steve Jobs, or another Bono, or another Thierry Henry, so trying to be them makes no sense. But learning from them and their best qualities? Absolutely.
On a related note, I’m a big believer in setting ambitious - perhaps impossible - targets. There’s little point in striving to be average so we should set lofty goals and go after them. But when we do so, we should be patient in our execution. We won’t get there tomorrow, or perhaps even next year. But we will move forward and we will achieve. That’s success. (Again, so long as we put our best into the work to be done. No excuses.)
In line with that, an objective acknowledgement of how far we’ve come is important. Too often, we’ll beat ourselves up over all that we’ve not done, yet ignore all that we have. (Trust me, I’m a master at this.) Again, there’s little value in that. We should celebrate what we have achieved - not to suggest complacency but acknowledgement and gratitude for all that we’ve made happen.
Most of all, we need to separate our own sense of self, our self worth, from what we do in our work. This is one of the hardest things to do, but it’s essential. We’re complex creatures with multiple, varying interests. We play multiple roles in our lives, not just any single one.
So ensuring our sense of self is connected to who we are at our core and not to our physical or material achievements, is critical. That’s not easy. Many folks go through entire lifetimes and don’t figure out who they actually are. Others know who they are, but ignore it, instead striving for someone else’s definition of it. It’s a thing to be cherished to know who you are and be content in that knowledge.
We should always strive to be who we are.
