The Importance of Standards
The importance of standards is something I want to discuss today.
Part of the reason for this is that just yesterday, we released 2 players from our soccer program at the University of Toronto for repeatedly breaking our team’s standards.
In fact, on my blog – YuriElkaim.com – I put together a video post about what one of these players did in our strength and conditioning session the other day. For this unfortunate player, this latest incident was the last straw in a string of events over the past year that led to his release.
We run a very tight ship at U of T soccer because we believe in professionalism, integrity, and honouring the position of privilege we all have to play (or in my case coach) soccer at the highest amateur level in Canada.
In order for us to continue to build our program into a continuing powerhouse we realize that all of our players are important, yet none of them are indispensable.
In essence, no one is bigger than the team. No one single player is bigger than our program!
That’s why when faced with tough decisions it is easier to make the right one. We know what we value and if certain players don’t adhere to these values, then it’s a very easy choice.
The reason I’m sharing this with you is that you too need to have standards! You need to have clearly defined values. And probably most importantly, you need to know what these are.
The clearer you are about your standards and values ahead of time, the easier it will be for you to make quick and decisive choices.
For instance, what are the standards that you have for your body and your health?
What do you value most in your life – health, freedom, family, love, etc…?
Being clear about these facets of who you are will help you grow and be more decisive in any given situation.
Tony Robbins says that decisions are simply a clarification of our values.
I couldn’t agree more.
Going out and drinking on a regular basis tells us about someone’s values.
Working out on a daily basis tells us about someone’s values.
Eating healthy on a daily basis tells us about someone’s values.
Remember, actions speak louder than words. Your actions tells the world (and yourself) what you are all about.
So my challenge to you is to set standards for yourself (if you haven’t already) and get clear on what is most important to you (your values).
I guarantee that doing so will make your life more clear and focused.
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