The legendary Zig Ziglar said that “Success is a personal standard.” He explained that personal standards are like a personal constitution which are based on life principles and core values. 

Those personal standard become, or should become, the basis for making daily decisions. 

Do have have  personal standards? Can you articulate them when asked? Do you review them periodically to be certain you’re living up to them? Are you using them to guide yourself to the life you want and deserve?

If you answered “no” to some or all of those questions then here is one more…how the heck do you make decisions and choices that benefit you and those around you? 

Here are a few examples of what personal standards look like from Richard Templers’ best seller “Rules of Work.” 

• I will not knowingly hurt or hinder another human being in the pursuit of my career.
• I will not knowingly break any laws in the furtherance of my goals.
• I will have a moral code that I will follow no matter what.
• I will endeavor to provide a positive contribution to society by what I do for a living.
• I will always try to give something back.
• I will pass on freely and openly any skills, knowledge, or experience to anyone who could use them to benefit themselves.
• I will not be jealous of anyone else’s success in the same industry.
• I will question the long-term ramifications of what I do constantly.
• I will play by the rules at all times.
• I will carefully think things through before agreeing to do them.

Those are just examples. They are not the standards you need to live by but I think a lot of them would be pretty good standards for most anyone. But here is the deal….your standards are just that, YOURS. 

YOU have to decide what you will do and what you won’t do. Social norms will play a part. Laws will play a part. But most people know right from wrong without needing society or a judge to tell them. 

The bigger question is do you live by your standards? It’s a lot easier to say what your standards are than it is to live by them. But if you can’t even say them then you certainly can’t live by them.

Determining your personal standards takes some real effort and a substantial investment of time. It takes some serious self-reflection. But you’ll discover lifelong value in making that effort. Once you start using those standards to make decisions in your life then people around you will notice that value too.