There is a statement that I’ve heard a number of times, and I’m sure you have as well. It’s used in athletics and business, it’s used in school and at home. The statement usually goes something like this “Set the bar high” or “raise the bar” or simply just “set the bar.” I was recently reflecting on this statement and thought I would write a little something about it that hopefully will be an encouragement to you and help you unlock untapped potential in your life.
In setting the bar, I think we often set it in the wrong way. Parents or schools or jobs can set the bar for us if we let them. When that happens it can be set too low, it can be set too high; it is rarely set at the right level for us.
It may not be challenging, or it may be too challenging. The challenge today with this post, the encouragement today, is to
Set your own bar.
When you set your own bar you can challenge yourself, you can keep moving forward, you can keep track of it. When you set your own bar you have a goal to reach that is measurable and attainable by you. You have set it yourself, so you will be able to meet it yourself.
What bar you going to set for yourself today? Will it be challenging? Can you reach it? What will it take to get there?No one else should have the power to dictate your potential or your future.
Only you have that choice.
Set your own bar, and set it high enough that you have to grow and stretch just to reach it. Then, set another bar. Just a little higher so it requires just a little more growth and just a little bigger stretch.
Set the bar high enough that you are challenged to perform and be stretched in order to grow. We are really either moving forward or moving backward in life (no one wants to be in that in between place…it’s called stagnation and it’s smelly and full of moldy, gross stuff the breeds disease, and in reality stagnation is really moving backward).
What are you going to do today? Have other people been setting the bar for you? Take back control of that bar and set it where it will force you to grow, and yet in a place that really is attainable.
Set one goal at a time, and once you reach that goal set another one that is just a little more difficult. Try it out. See what happens.
And you know what, if you start before January 1, you don’t even need to set a “New Year’s Resolution” because your goal setting has already begun.
I’d love to hear how this works out for you! Feel free to comment below about your bar/goal setting and how it has affected your life, one way or the other. Thanks!
Faith Lived Out 