Raise your standards for what you expect out of life.

A long time ago, Michael Jordan was in the club house right before his last game ever played, and someone asked him, “Michael, what really sets you apart from everyone else? What makes you great? Is it your talent, your skill, your work ethic? What is it?” Michael looked at him and said ,”I do have talent, I have skill, but it’s my standards that set me apart. Every day I demand more from myself than anyone else could humanly expect. I am not competing with myself, I am competing with what I am capable of.”

Standards are what will set you apart from others.

Whether that is the standards you hold as a friend, as a lover, as a person in general…that is what is going to make you or break you.

I find it incredibly interesting what he said about competing with his potential. It is really interesting to look at a lot of the successful people who have come through this world, and see and study what they have done.

A lot of the time, they have sacrificed years of their life to become that great person. They have put in the unbelievable hours, spent a lot of time with themselves instead of always hanging out with other people, scratched the partying from their lives, and rid themselves of anything that could hurt their dream or waste their time.

They are focused. They are in tune with what they want. Most importantly, they back up their actions by delivering day after day.

But success is not an overnight thing…it comes from the grind and it also takes placing your mind in peak condition before you go out and do what you need to do. This means that you must have certain rituals.

You have to command your mind to do what you want it to do. When you do this, you are ready.

Here is something that I picked up recently that will definitely help me in my getting ready to perform. “I now command my subconscious mind to direct me in helping as many people as possible today, by giving me the strength, the brevity, the humor, whatever it takes, to show them and help them change their lives now.” I have been starting to say this before I write, and when I do, the passion flows from me into my writing.

I have also made it a focus of mine to continue raising my standards.

I have a huge massive almost daunting dream for what I want, but I know that if I break it down into little steps, I will eventually get there.

The blog, the inspirational snacks, the new video blog, the communicating with the people who comment on this page, it is all part of the process.

The little steps it takes to get to where I want to go. Have the plan, follow the plan, and you will deliver. But you have to be committed to it. You have to go all in. Because if you don’t, you will just end up floating again.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project