I used to work in the gas station industry. Part of my initial role was to walk my sites and conduct a standards review. This was a comparison of our ideal of a station to what was before me. The list was extensive and detailed. It provided a deficiencies list that I could work on until the next evaluation.
As I conducted these tests I reflected on my own life and wondered if there was a way to define standards for my own life. Now that’s a loaded question, you can always upgrade your life. It’s what you choose to put your attention to because you can spend so much time reaching to a goal that you forget to live. It’s a balance.
What I did come up with was quite easy and pertained to my driveway and my car. I defined a new standard that I would always shovel the driveway after a snow storm to keep the driveway bare. And even shovel during a storm if it is to be a big storm, so that I can keep the shovelling to manageable level. This might sound obvious, but before I made that commitment to myself, I was kind of ‘meh’ about my driveway. After this commitment was made, I was always proud to drive to my home because my driveway was easy to drive on, clear and safe to walk on.
The standard I set for the car was to clean it out every Sunday. That became my Sunday job. Clean off the floors seats and dashboards either with garbage collection, wiping or vacuuming. Whatever was needed. When I got into the car for the next week, I felt prouder about my car, it almost felt new.
I have applied this standard setting to writing this blog. My commitment is to post a blog every week for the first year. Somedays are easy. Some not so as you can see by the dates of the postings I have slipped. But I promised I would sit myself down and write something each week.
Setting personal standard can be hard. And holding me accountable for what I do is harder. I can be a bad little kid and find any excuse not to do what I promised myself I would do. One step at a time. Here’s today’s step.
