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Life is filled with moments in which we are faced with the option of lowering the bar, or raising our standard. I have witnessed too often those who would lower the bar by settling for something less than they deserve. I’ve seen this in business, in faith, in relationships, in sports, in training, in education, in art, and just about everything that can be measured.
It is easier to accept an outcome, than to fight against it. It is simpler to convince oneself that it does not matter. It’s not difficult to just settle, and follow the crowd. “Everyone else does it,” or “nobody else is going to do it,” are frequent responses from many today. Conformity to the mediocre has become a norm in some areas.
I believe we are better than that. We can strive for more. We can improve on who we are and become better versions of ourselves. We can visualize ourselves as succeeding, so why can some not apply the necessary steps and proceed to the goal? Some just decide to lower the bar. They can strive to go over the highest bar, but they stop short and lower the bar to a place that’s easier for them to jump over. And gradually in life, they lower their bar to points of comfort and a path of least resistance.
We live once. One, single moment here on Earth is ours. Can we really be alright with conforming to a lower standard? Or, for example, a changing, and ever-lowering standard such as we are witnessing in education with basic math and reading skills? Or lowering our expectations for religious institutions, or ethics in regards to the political elite or the behavior of some in the media & Hollywood? Do we just allow rules and common sense to erode under our watch, or do we choose to raise the standard?
When institutions tell us something so contradictory to our soul, and others are just going along to get along, it’s up to us to stand firm in our beliefs and in common sense, and say, “NO. No, I don’t accept that.” This applies to all areas in our lives. We must always have firm principles in place, never settle, never compromise our beliefs, and raise a standard that is high for ourselves. Each individual may stop short at the bar, but we cannot lower it. Me must try again, and again, and again, until we succeed.
This goes for fitness and health tenfold. Do not accept that you have to slow down, or that you are restricted from doing the things that you’d like to do, just because everyone else does as they age. I intend to continue fighting that premise until the day I die. I’m going to do all the things that I want to do, because I’m going to stay fit enough with proper nutrition & exercise to be able to do so.
I encourage you all to set the bar as high as you can. As I said, we’re here for a brief moment. Raise your standards and make that moment count.
Happy Memorial Day, and let us always remember those who sacrifice everything for us. It’s a standard in which we can always admire. I feel that America is also a standard that we can admire. She is the greatest nation in the history of this planet, and we must never let her settle for less. She deserves our very best!
Until next month,
~ John D.