Start Where You Are and Grow

Hey there. I talk a lot about standards these days. Not the kind of standards that come from comparison or pressure or trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing. I am talking about the standards you set for yourself. The ones that help you grow from the inside/out and build the life you actually want to live.

I like to think of my standards in two parts. I have my minimum standards and my achievement standards. Those minimum standards are the foundation. They are the things I fall back on no matter what. They keep me grounded. They keep me moving. They help me stay connected to myself without getting caught up in perfection or pressure.

In fitness, this looks like having a minimum daily action that I know I can do. Maybe it is a short walk. Maybe it is a certain number of strength training movements. Maybe it is tracking one meal. When you build your routine around your preferences, you make it easier to show up. And when something is easier to show up for, it becomes easier to repeat. That repetition becomes momentum.

What surprised me over time is how much this minimum standard approach helps in other areas of life. If there is something I want to change, I do not need to go all in from day one. I can start with one small step today that I was not doing yesterday. If I take that step again tomorrow, I am building a new pattern. If it feels good, I can take a second step. Before long I look back and realize I have built momentum all over again.

Here is the trap I see so many people fall into, and it used to be my trap too. They think every day has to be a huge improvement. They think they have to be better today than they were yesterday in some dramatic way. That is not how progress works. Showing up consistently is what matters. Some days you exceed your standard. Some days you do the minimum. Both count.

Once you master that baseline, your achievement standards start to take shape. These are the things you want to grow into. The life you want to create. The identity you want to step into. I think you choose who you want to be and then you take the smallest possible step that lines up with that identity. The follow through builds confidence. The confidence builds curiosity. Curiosity helps you navigate every obstacle that comes up.

When I look back at the things I used to call failures, I realize they were never failures at all. They were moments when life went differently than I expected. That is not a failure. That is information. It is feedback. It is a puzzle that I get to figure out. And if I trust my ability to take action, and I stay curious about the unknown, I can figure out anything.

I think we set the bar way too high for ourselves before we build the foundation to support it. Minimum standards are not about doing less. They are about creating the base layer of consistency that makes everything else possible. Once you have that, you can go wherever you want.

If you want help building your own standards and creating a more grounded, sustainable approach to fitness and life, I would love to support you. Join one of The YLF Experience programs and start building your foundation today.