High Standards: Living to the real highest standard

High Standards: Living to the real highest standard

High Standards

“Each of us will one day be judged by our standard of life—not by our standard of living, by our measure of giving, not by our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness, not by our seeming greatness.”

I have an uncle who measures his and others standards by his living, his measure of wealth, and by his seeming greatness. He stands 6’4, makes over 250,000 dollars a year, is considered to be attractive, athletic, humorous, fun, and all-around the perfect human being. So what does he lack? He lacks about every positive abstract one can have. On top of these he lacks the ultimate: happiness. Look at a lot of pro athletes; look at a lot of public figures in general. They reach a point where everything has been accomplished, at least all superficialities: an illustrious career, fame, fortune, etc. Many will find that there’s that something missing. They’ll find that they have to do something greater than themselves. Serena Williams, for instance, started doing charity work in Africa much after her tennis career took off. Oprah Winfrey built schools in third world country’s well after she became the highest paid celebrity. So if there is that extra essence missing in your life, know that the greatest self-actualization comes from giving, not wealth. It comes from our good, not how great we are perceived. It comes from our overall standard of life, not our standard of living. Hold yourself to the highest standards every day, the standards that really count.