Our world tends to prioritize and over-emphasize external standards of success–job titles, social media stats, grades, to name a few. It’s easy to lose sight of what defines personal success and what success looks like to each of us, considering our unique situations, experiences, and talents. Further, some of the most fulfilling achievements don’t come from merely meeting society’s expectations. On the contrary, meaning achievement is often the result of aligning personal standards of success–that is, an internal standard of excellence–with external activities. This internal benchmark can guide you toward greater fulfillment and long-term personal growth.
What are internal standards of excellence?
Your internal standard of excellence (ISE) defines what it means to succeed and outlines what success looks like to you. Unlike external standards set by culture, society, or peers, ISE is driven by your values, talents, and unique vision for your life. In short, it’s about measuring success based on what’s valuable to you and what success looks like to you.
Why do they matter?
An ISE isn’t a one-size-fits-all standard. It has to be tailored to fit your values, talents, and lifestyle. When we try to adhere to standards of excellence created by those around us, we fail to account for our own desires and priorities. The sole reliance on external standards of excellence can lead to burnout, frustration, and even low motivation.
Likewise, we can experience frustration, stress, and a sense of failure when we fail to measure up to ambiguous, unrealistic, or undefined standards we set for ourselves. What’s more, if our internal standard is unrealistic or dependent on traits or talents we don’t possess, we set ourselves up for tangible failure–not realizing our full potential.
It’s crucial to your personal success and wellbeing to identify what success means to you in relation to your own ISE. Doing so, empowers you to reach your greatest potential and live a life aligned to your values. With this in mind, we’ve compiled 5 tips for defining success based on your ISE.
5 Tips for defining success based on your internal standard of excellence
1. Clarify your core values
Your ISE should reflect what deeply matters to you. What aspects of your life are most important to you? What talents are you most hoping to use and hone? Are there specific visions you have for your life that are crucial to realize?
Take some time to reflect on what is most important to you on a deeply personal level. These values will act as a foundation for your measurement of success, giving you a clearer idea of what success means to you.
2. Align your goals to these values
A crucial next step in defining your ISE, value alignment is created when your actions, goals, and habits are integrated with your core values. It’s an intentional effort to ensure your actions–personal or professional–are in harmony with your values and priorities. Aligning your actions to your beliefs ensures that what you do in the day-to-day reflects the values most important to you.
Aligning your goals to your core values can also drive you to pursue goals that are more worthy of your time and that harvest a deeper sense of purpose. When you know what values drive you, you’ll find that goals are easier to craft and achieve because they’re rooted in a deeper value. Whether it’s advancing in your career, improving a skill, or deepening relationships, your goals should reflect your core values–the values that give your life purpose.
3. Emphasize effort over outcomes
When pursuing our passions, it’s easy to focus on outcomes–tangible and quantifiable outcomes that we think help us define success. However, it can be more beneficial to focus on the seeming intangibles. Redefine what success means to you by measuring it by the effort, growth, and learning resulting from the effort rather than the more tangible, observable outcomes. This shift in perspective can help you embrace challenges, learn from failures, and stay motivated regardless of the outcome. It can also free you to see the importance of setting goals that result in learning and growing into your best self.
4. Create personal metrics for success
What does excellence mean to you? If you’re looking to define success based on your own ISE, it’s important to clearly define benchmarks and metrics that are meaningful to you and align with your internal values. Let’s say your ISE is improved health and strength. Success for you may not be reaching a specific weight. Instead, it may be sticking to a consistent workout routine X days per week, being able to run X miles, or being able to hike part of the Appalachian Trail. Your personal metrics should serve as a guidepost for success by working in unison with your ISE.
5. Regularly evaluate and adjust
Greek philosopher Heraclitus surmised that “the only constant in life is change.” Our lives, values, and priorities are ever-changing. Likewise, our ISE is not static, but something that changes as we learn and grow. It’s important, then, to regularly evaluate your values, goals, and success metrics. Reflect periodically on your progress and reassess your goals to ensure they still align with your values and aspirations. This ensures that, whatever your definition of success may be, you’re consistently striving to achieve it.
True success is not about meeting the external expectations of the world around you. It’s about honoring your own standard of excellence. When you define success on your terms, you create a life that is authentic, enriching, and filled with growth. Staying committed to your ISE can empower yourself to achieve greatness as you define it–not as others define for you.
If you’re looking to take a deeper dive into success and goal achievement, explore our new complimentary ebook, “Path to Success.” Whether you're striving for personal growth or career achievement, this book guides you through defining what success really means to you, setting achievable goals tailored to your lifestyle, overcoming roadblocks to stay motivated, and using proven techniques to ensure progress and success.
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