The Principle of Standards
Standards are the internal benchmarks you set for yourself — the non-negotiable thresholds of quality, character, and conduct that govern your work, relationships, and behavior regardless of what others expect, accept, or reward.
Living Without This Principle
Without personal standards, your behavior is dictated by your environment. You do what is required rather than what is excellent. You allow others to set the ceiling for your effort, and since most environments reward mediocrity, you gradually become what the crowd expects rather than who you were created to be. Without standards, you drift toward comfort, cut corners when no one is watching, and gradually lose the integrity that makes your word worth something and your work worth paying for.
What This Principle Unlocks
When you live by high personal standards, you become someone who can be trusted with greater responsibility because you are the same person in private as in public. Standards create internal accountability — you don’t need external pressure to produce your best because your best is what you expect of yourself. Over time, the gap between you and average widens not because you tried harder in one moment, but because you held a higher standard in every moment.
Hebrew and Greek Root Words
Hebrew: taqan (תָּקַן) — to set in order, to make straight, or to establish a standard; implies arranging things according to the proper measure or design. Used in Ecclesiastes 12:9, where the Preacher arranged many proverbs — setting wisdom in order according to a standard of truth and excellence.
Greek: aretē (ἀρετή) — excellence, virtue, or moral goodness; the pursuit of the highest possible expression of a quality. Used in Philippians 4:8 — “whatever is excellent (aretē), think about such things.” It describes not just the absence of wrong but the active, deliberate pursuit of the best.
Bible Verses on Standards
Philippians 4:8 — “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent (aretē) or praiseworthy — think about such things.”
Colossians 3:23 — “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Proverbs 22:29 — “Do you see someone skilled (taqan) in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”
2 Timothy 2:15 — “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Examples of People in the Bible Who Used This Principle
Daniel — When Daniel was taken as a teenager to serve in the Babylonian king’s court, the government had a plan to assimilate him: a new name, Babylonian education, and food from the royal table. On the matter of the food, likely connected to idol worship, Daniel made a clear internal decision: “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine” (Daniel 1:8). He set a personal standard that did not bend to royal pressure or cultural expectation. He asked for an alternative, was tested for ten days, and came out healthier and more capable than those who had eaten from the king’s table. That internal standard, held quietly but firmly in a foreign culture, became the foundation of a life of extraordinary influence that outlasted every empire around him.
Bezalel — When God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle, the sacred space where God would dwell among his people, he did not settle for ordinary workmanship. He chose a man named Bezalel and filled him with the Spirit of God specifically in “wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge and in all kinds of skills” for the craftsmanship (Exodus 31:3–5). The standard for the work that would honor God’s presence was excellence, and God himself raised up and equipped a person to meet it. Standards in service of sacred purpose reflect the character of the One being honored.
Paul — Paul’s own life was a consistent embodiment of the high standards he communicated to others. He wrote: “Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24) and described his approach to his calling as disciplined and intentional rather than aimless. He worked with his hands to avoid burdening the churches he served, maintained the integrity of his message under pressure to soften it, and held himself to the same relational and ethical standards he applied to those he led. His standard was not driven by public reputation. It was rooted in an internal conviction about what his assignment required of him before God.
Tips for Using the Principle of Standards
- Write down your personal standards explicitly — vague standards produce vague behavior.
- Set standards based on who you want to become, not on what others will notice or reward.
- Hold your standards especially when no one is watching — that is where they are actually built.
- Regularly evaluate whether your current environment is raising or lowering your standards.
- Separate standards from perfectionism — excellence is about consistent commitment, not flawless execution.
- Apply standards to your inner life first: thoughts, words, and motives, not just visible outputs.
- When you fall short of your own standards, recommit without shame — standards are not a trap, they are a compass.
Connected Principle: Productivity
Standards are the internal commitment that makes excellence possible. You cannot consistently produce excellent work without first deciding what excellent looks like for you. The Principle of Excellence describes the outcome — the highest possible quality of work and character. The Principle of Standards describes the internal structure that makes it sustainable. To learn more, read The Principle of Productivity.
