We’ve been told that we must set goals for happiness and success, but think carefully for a moment. Most people, the world over, don’t achieve their goals. Why does this approach fail for so many people? Derek Mills, the Standards Guy, attempts to answer this question.
Life is short, so there is no point in sticking with systems that don’t work. I’m privileged to have been able to mentor and speak around the globe, helping others massively increase their happiness and success in all areas of their life by utilising the “missing link” to success in life and business. I was the original guinea pig of this social and business experiment. Rather than focusing on long-term goals, it’s about living by daily standards from within you or your business—living by them one day at a time.
These daily standards take you to, and keep you on, the path to success. Goals, by definition, are future based; they promise success and happiness “one day”. For so many of us, though, that day never comes. Living by daily standards, however, brings out the best you and brings you happiness in the here and now.
In this practical philosophy a standard is a basis, criterion, level, quality, or rule set from within and adhered to today—just today, and from today, one day at a time.
Personal Standars
After a lifetime of struggle and debts, using the new practical philosophy of standards, in three years, I went from being depressed and broke, working 15-hour days, six-day weeks, to becoming a multimillionaire working three and a half days a week. Most importantly, because standards helped keep me understand my truest self, I became happy immediately.
Standards are a now experience, a now activity, and they affect our business and us in the immediate present. Raising the standards in one area of our life affects everything else.
The 7 key areas for your standards review
- Personal health and fitness
- Environment (internal attitude and external circumstances)
- Relationships
- Family
- Emotions
- Career
- Time
Every single one of us can set new, higher daily standards in some or all of these areas. New daily standards, set from within, have the potential to profoundly change us.
Recognising and utilising Standards in Business
Learning how to set, adopt, and articulate our daily standards is vital because it enables us to take the next step, which is to become conscious of another’s standards.
Consider successful corporations like Porsche, Walt Disney, Chrysler and Axa. All are now “standards” companies.
Lets suppose that you work in the fields of sales, coaching, or consulting. Once you know your clients’ standards, you are streets ahead of any competitor. In business interactions, utilise some or all of the following four points:
- Identify the client’s relevant standards. This is your moment because the prospective client wouldn’t be sitting with you if they had another relationship or connection that already matched their standards.
- Pinpoint expectations and help the client identify any past pain experienced as a result of their standards not met being by a previous supplier. Draw out where specifically the client’s standards were previously breached and also identify how and when they’ve had their standards met.
- Ask them about their standards (basis, criterion, levels, qualities or rules) so you can prove to them you’ve identified and can match their expectations. Where there is an acceptable match to your standards, proceed.
- Meeting another’s standards generates an extraordinary amount of good will. Stick to mutually agreed standards in any relationship. Remember, goals alone don’t work.
This practical philosophy is not just about business success. We can each set new standards in other key areas of our life. For many, a great place to start is health and fitness, or relationships.
The missing link between you and your success is daily standards. Here is a quick standards reframe that you can use today:
- Review and realise your standards in key areas of your life
- Release the standards that no longer serve you
- Reset new standards that honour and serve you, ones that allow you to honour and serve others
- Recommit to your new standards and stick to them just one day at a time
When living by daily standards, we change. When we change, everything changes for us. Join the Standards Revolution: Stick to your new higher standards long enough to notice what such a change can do for you.
“Living by high daily Standards helps keep us authentic. Others see and feel that authenticity. They feel a better connection to us, our company, our products and services.”
“We in the free world create our own lives by our daily standards.”
“Happiness is a now experience.”
