You know that moment when you’re standing at your front door, staring at the thermometer reading 35 degrees, and every fiber of your being is screaming “NOPE!”? That was me, every single winter morning when it came to my running routine.
Let me paint you a picture of how standards work – both the ones that push us forward and the ones that hold us back.
Two years ago, my “too cold to run” threshold was 40 degrees. If the mercury dipped below that magic number, I’d give myself a gold star for “making a smart decision” and head to the gym instead. But here’s the thing about standards – they’re not set in stone, they’re set in our minds.
Fast forward to today, and I’m out there crushing miles unless it’s below 20 degrees. What changed? Not the cold – trust me, 35 degrees feels exactly the same as it did before. What changed was my standard.
Here’s where it gets interesting (and maybe a little uncomfortable): This same principle applies to every choice we make, including the not-so-great ones.
Think about that extra glass of wine that becomes two, then becomes a nightly habit. Or that “just this once” skip of your workout that turns into “well, I already missed Monday, so what’s one more day?” Before you know it, your new standard is working out once a week instead of four times.
The science behind this is fascinating. Our brains are essentially habit-making machines. Every time we make a choice, we’re carving a little pathway in our neural network. The more we travel that path, the wider and easier to follow it becomes. It’s like creating a highway in your brain – whether that highway leads to healthy choices or unhelpful ones is entirely up to you.
Now, here’s the empowering part: Just as negative standards can snowball, positive ones can too. That first cold morning run I completed? It made the second one just a tiny bit easier. By the tenth cold run, my brain had stopped trying to negotiate with me about the temperature.
Sure, those first two miles still include some choice thoughts about my life decisions (especially when my nose feels like it might fall off). But by mile two, I’m in the groove because my brain knows, “This is just what we do now.”
Want to know the real kicker? This principle works for EVERYTHING. Every. Single. Thing.
- That 6 AM workout you’re considering? Make it your standard.
- Meal prep Sundays? Make it your standard.
- Drinking water instead of soda? Make it your standard.
Remember: Your future self is being shaped by the standards you accept today. Those standards aren’t just about what you’ll do – they’re about who you’ll become.
So, let me ask you this: What standards are you accepting in your life right now? And more importantly, are those standards creating the future you want?
Because here’s the cold, hard truth (pun absolutely intended): The standard you accept today becomes the baseline for tomorrow. Make sure it’s a baseline you’re proud of.
And if you’re wondering whether you can actually raise your standards? Well, if I can learn to love (okay, tolerate) running in 20-degree weather, imagine what you could do.
The choice is yours. What standard will you set today?