The standard is the minimum. The standard is the price of admission, the ticket purchased by effort and consistency. It is the key that unlocks the door to development and growth.
Too often, we chase an arbitrary standard. A double-bodyweight deadlift, a sub-one second draw, and a six-minute mile are meaningless when devoid of the context of their application.
Applying context validates the relevance of a skillset and its supporting materiel. Context informs an assessment of capability. Context determines the minimum acceptable level of performance.
The standard is what we are capable of when we are tired and hungry, under the most unfavorable conditions. The standard is performed without a warm-up, without a preamble. Execution on-demand.
The goal of training is to raise the level of performance to that required by contextual reality, then to push beyond that minimum to achieve our fullest potential.
In times of increased global stress and decreased time available for training, having a personal standard that is grounded in reality and achievable on your worst day will be a lighthouse. It will provide guidelines for distilling training down to the essential and enabling the maximization of minimal time.
What level of performance do you accept from yourself? What is your new minimum?