Raise The Bar!

Celebrate what you accomplish, but raise the bar each time you succeed – Mia Hamm

Don’t Quit Now

“If I can just make it past this first mile,” I told myself as I fought the urge to stop and go back home. It was one of those early morning runs, and I was puffing like a chain smoker. My shoes felt like someone had filled them with cement. Every step forward was more difficult than the last. But as I passed the first-mile hurdle, I gained momentum, making my run easier as I pushed forward. I call the first mile the bare minimum approach. It sounds harmless, but when allowed to fester, it can erode our innate ability to be and do better. This approach to life stagnates our progress and relegates us to a “less than” prescribed way of living. This mindset creates a ceiling preventing us from growth. It’s in the next mile where ceilings are broken, momentum builds, and greater productivity is realized. The bare minimum approach carries the comfort of meeting expectations, which in itself seems like a win. But, on a deeper level, simply meeting expectations robs us of the chance to stretch ourselves and plant seeds for future opportunities. I consider it worth taking the risk to maximize potential by raising the bar and going past the bare minimum approach to life.

Coming this Month

How do we raise the bar by becoming expectation exceeders rather than simply expectation meeters? 

Dare to make the ask (Coming on May 9th): The right questions always take conversations deeper and pull out what wasn’t available without the question. They put us in positions that allow us to learn and grow. On the other side of the dare is the land of the extraordinary, where those satisfied with continuing the status quo of only meeting expectations cannot enter. What is the question that you must ask to intentionally put yourself on the path to raise the bar to achieve your goals?

Make the pursuit daily (Coming on May 16th): It’s what we do daily that carries the highest probability of becoming a habit in our lives. No one pursued anything long enough to see results unless they were equally passionate about it. People will always take note of someone who raises the bar. Do you have a daily action plan to exceed expectations in everything you do?

Don’t Go Back, Go Up (Coming on May 23rd): Let’s agree, upwards is always harder than backwards. It takes no effort or energy to drift back; it simply requires doing nothing. Leadership expert John Maxwell talks about the beauty of raising the bar when he says, “This (exceeding expectations) opened doors for me.” He then continued by giving an added insight, “But I knew that an open door can close quickly if you don’t continue trying to exceed expectations, so I made it a continual goal, and it has become a lifestyle within me.” Raising the bar will put you in a proactive position. You will function at an altitude where competition and comparison hold no weight. 

Simply meeting expectations robs us of the chance to stretch ourselves and plant seeds for future opportunities.

Final Thought: How do you approach your day? Are you simply looking to meet expectations, or how can you raise the bar and start exceeding them? Allow the curiosity of the “extra mile” to direct you to a lifestyle of exceeding expectations. You will always win when you raise the bar and set yourself up for greater opportunities in the future! 
Keep on Keeping on!