When we perform “poorly,” we have two choices.
One choice is to believe we fell short of expectations.
Setting an expectation isn’t wrong. Quality is a measure of a product meeting the expectations of the person buying it. We expect Ferraris to go fast and old Ford trucks to last.
Setting expectations for our performance is less appropriate. We aren’t made in factories. There are no quality control officers on the human assembly line.
So, expectations are more often a way for humans to decide when they will feel bad.
The other choice is to recognize our standards.
Standards determine how a product should be made and perform, regardless of the outcome.
Market: “We need a reliable truck; one day, it will end up in a museum.”
Ford: “We’re building the most reliable truck that money can buy.”
Market: “We need a truck that will be beaten to hell and likely be put out of its misery in a car compactor.
Ford: “Cool. Hey, We’re building the most reliable truck that money can buy.”
If you bought a Ferrari for reliability, you’d be sorely disappointed. Likewise, taking an old Ford on the Autoban will get you looks, but probably not the ones you’re after.
If you bought a Ferrari for reliability, you’d be sorely disappointed. Likewise, taking an old Ford on the Autoban will get you looks, but probably not the ones you’re after.
Standards are a better game for humans to play. We can set our own standards and consistently hit them. We can improve them to meet new challenges when they no longer work, and, if we miss the standard, we know where the performance breakdown came from.
What’s even more beautiful about being a standards-oriented athlete? As we age, we can redefine what games are important to us and learn an entirely new set of standards, making aging much more fun.
TLDR:
You can’t break a record every time you run a mile.
You will be sad if you have this expectation.
We can eat well, hydrate, and sleep 8 hrs the night before the race, and thank the volunteers at the finish line before our heat begins.
You will feel proud of holding this standard regardless of the mile time.
And…You will beat your records if you keep upholding and updating your standards over time.
Your expectations should be no higher than your standards.
So, be the athlete who holds high standards for yourself.
Have Fun,
-J
