how to raise your standards with yourself
This is your reminder that your standards aren't high enough!
We all love to feel hot, confident and thriving in self respect. It’s getting warmer, and it’s about to be summer time, so I thought it’s the perfect opportunity to level up before the season.
Leveling up can include physical, emotional and mental aspects. It can include any area in your life that you want to work on and elevate.
I want you to be your best self, and I’m determined to make sure you know how to raise your own standards within yourself!
how to raise your standards with yourself
To raise your standard with yourself, elevate your health, implement acts of self discipline, surround yourself with positive influences and stick to your standards and boundaries.
elevate your health and what you put in your body
Your body deserves love, and you should be giving it the fuel it needs. Whatever your diet and lifestyle look like, try to see if there’s opportunities to live a healthier lifestyle.
For example, I’m going to be giving up fast food for all of April. In my whole life, I probably haven’t gone a whole month without fast food, so I am feeling a little nervous about cutting out all the yummy foods (especially Chick-Fil-A)!
But I want to push myself into living a healthier lifestyle, and do something that’s sustainable for me and my own day to day.
I also have found myself slipping at the gym and haven’t been going on morning walks as much as I did a year or so ago. I’m using this time to realign my health and fitness goals to raise my health standards.
Maybe for you that looks like trying a new diet, working out a little more, eating more whole foods or even getting eight hours of sleep at night.
Whatever you’ve been delaying on your health and fitness journey, dedicate a little time and discipline to finally achieving what you’ve been saying you want to achieve.
envision your highest self
Visualize the version of yourself you want to become. Imagine the new standards you’d have for yourself, and make sure to keep that visual front in mind.
Maybe put your goals into a mood or vision board to look at every day. Collect photos and buzz words that remind you of your standards and the version of yourself you want to elevate to.
Change your phone wallpaper into your “why” or a list of goals.
Play your most motivating songs when you’re stuck.
Save the podcast that makes you want to get up and be active.
Prepare an incentive ahead of time to motivate you.
There’s so many ways you can envision your highest self, and create reminders when you’re having low motivational or discouraging days.
implement acts of self discipline
Self discipline is crucial for raising your standards with yourself.
Make your intentions and goals clear from the start. Try listing out the ways you want to elevate your life.
Having clear intentions and tasks to work toward allows you to stay disciplined because you can envision the path to what you’re working toward instead of a vague goal.
Self-discipline within your own life allows you to raise your personal standards, and there’s another layer of discipline you can implement in your interactions with others.
It takes true discipline to be able to communicate effectively about what you will and will not allow, and then to take it a step further by standing on what you have communicated.
read more on discipline: discipline is the key to self love. here’s how to stay disciplined.
stick to your standards & boundaries with other people
It’s 2026. It’s time to say what you mean, and stick to what you say. There are too many opportunities for other people to play or disrespect you, especially if you have lower standards or lower self esteem.
I’ve been there plenty of times, so I know that it takes real work, discipline and practice to stand up for yourself vocally.
When you aren’t firm on what you want or what you will allow, it leaves room for people to take advantage of that, which we absolutely don’t want to happen.
If you want to raise your standards within yourself, you have to raise your standards with other people as well. Creating healthy boundaries is key to living a peaceful and centered life.
This year is all about doing scary things, and becoming a more elevated, confident version of ourselves. We all should keep boundaries in place, so we don’t accept the bare minimum or allow people to walk all over us.
If you’re scared of being mean while implementing boundaries, workshop what you want to say, remind yourself of your reasons, and embrace assertiveness when necessary. You can read more about how to set boundaries here.
additional content: journal prompts for setting boundaries
dress the way you want & feel good about your appearance
It’s not shallow to admit you want to look amazing. Who doesn’t? We all want to present our best selves to the world. But more importantly, we should all want to feel really good about our appearance and embrace the way we look.
Looks aren’t everything, but you really have to love the way YOU look if you want to have a high self esteem and up your standards.
I, of course, have things I don’t like about the way I look. And I, of course, have things I would change if I could. And that’s okay and human. But I also want to embrace the natural elements of myself.
My lips may be too thin, but I love lip gloss, finding shades I like and buying a million lip glosses from Sephora. I might be struggling with my weight a little right now, but I also love to dress up for my body type and flaunt what I have!
Find what you like about your body. Work on embracing or making changes to what you don’t like. Dress in what makes you feel beautiful. And feel good about your appearance.
related content: body dysmorphia: realities, tips and resources
surround yourself with positive influences
The people you surround yourself with really do make a difference. I notice I tend to pick up bad habits from people around me, whether it’s drinking, eating bad food, being lazy, etc.
Now, I also have those bad habits naturally!
But I do notice I’m more inclined to partake in my bad habits when others around me are comfortable doing it as well.
I get a sense of "embarrassment," or knowing that I need to change my ways, when my loved ones call me out, or it seems like to me they’re judging my habits. I wouldn't want to be the friend with the “bad habit,” and I want to match my friends’ higher standards.
It’s also easier to go on a health journey or make a lifestyle change, when you have an accountability partner. It’s nice to have people on your side cheering you on, rather than wondering why you want to have higher standards in the first place.
If you’re trying to better your life, and there’s people around you who aren’t fully supportive of that, that’s a red flag.
