Happy Thanksgiving 🥂
I know ….. we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK but still, it is a great opportunity to take a breath and to remind ourselves, just how much we have to be thankful for.  Life is challenging right now that’s for sure, and it is easy to overlook just how much there is to feel good about. Today is the perfect day to switch off from all the negativity, and to focus instead on what is great about your life. What there is to be grateful for.
Last weekend, the Christmas lights were turned on in the town where I live, just (coincidentally) as the temperature dropped by about 10 degrees. All of the stores in the Clyde Valley have their Christmas displays – each more fabulous than the one before and yet still, I’m finding it really hard to believe that we are only 5 weeks away from Christmas and only 6 weeks from the end of yet another year.
Isn’t it crazy?
As we approach the end of 2022, I notice that my mind is already turning to the year ahead and to what I want to achieve in 2023. And I have some preliminary thoughts. I’m thinking that rather than a big specific goal, perhaps I will engage in a year-long commitment to raising my standards.
We all have standards in our life, though we don’t always consciously define them. But what if we were to get more conscious? What if we did think about how we wanted our lives to look, and to get really clear on what we are no longer willing to tolerate.
Because life does not give you what you want, it gives what you EXPECT.
And what you expect reflects your standards. So, if we raised our standards in key areas of our life, then we would raise our expectations – right?
I haven’t finalized my thoughts as yet, so don’t hold me to this, but here are a few areas where I think I (and perhaps you) could make big changes in our lives by raising our standards. I’d like to share those with you:
- Personal care
Diet, movement/activity, sleep, personal grooming.
Do you have a personal grooming schedule? Do you take care of your skin, your hair, your nails etc?
Do you have a bed-time routine, or do you fall asleep watching the latest Netflix TV series?
Is there an opportunity to raise your standards in this area?
- Personal PresentationÂ
Setting some rules about how we present ourselves.
Define a minimum standard of presentation each day.
I’m assuming that there is no one among you who goes to the supermarket in their PJs (!) but if there is something you DO currently, that falls below the standard of the person you choose to be, then now is a good time to change it. Perhaps there is an opportunity to define a new standard in this area for 2023?
- Mindset
Curating what we consume.
Reducing the amount of time we spend watching reality TV, Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Noticing how much time we spend in mindless scrolling of the internet and social media channels.
Being more selective about what we read.
Spending too much time watching the news and noticing how bad it makes us feel.
Being surrounded by family/friends who continually speak negatively
And how about we start to pay more attention to the thoughts we have about ourselves? Let’s leave all negative beliefs and inner chatter behind in 2022 and move forward into the new year with a higher standard of thinking.
- Environment
The condition/order of our homes, car, office etc.
If you were on the outside looking in through a window, what would your environment say about you?
Are you happy with the description?
Is there an opportunity to raise your standard in this area?
- People & Experiences
Spending more time with people who inspire us.
Preparing a schedule for 2023 that creates time, space and opportunity to do more of the things that we love. The things that make us feel most alive.
WE each get to set the standard in our own lives, and we have the option to raise the bar.
We decide how to allocate our time, our money, all of our resources. We decide what is acceptable in the way that others treat us. How much time is spent in idle gossip, watching TV or learning something new. We get to decide what we put into our bodies and how much time we spend on taking care of our OWN needs.
So here I am consciously committing to raising the bar in 2023 and setting a new standard of acceptability – though I still have to define the areas I want to focus on.
How about you? Are you willing to raise the bar and define some new standards in your life? What area specifically needs some attention?
Drop me a line and inspire me with your ideas. What is the one area of your life that if you were to commit to raising your standards, would make the greatest difference?
x Until next time, sending you love x
I would love to get to know you more, connect with me here.
