#Personal Standards

Demanding the Best: A Stoic Wake-Up Call

To understand the force behind the line, it helps to place it within Stoic ethics, where the central project is aligning one’s life with reason and virtue. Epictetus, a former slave turned teacher, repeatedly returns to the distinction between what is “up to us” and what is not, as collected in the *Enchiridion* (c. 125 AD). Demanding the best, in his view, starts with claiming authority over your judgments, intentions, and actions. Consequently, “the best” is less about status or luxury and more about integrity—responding to life with courage, self-control, and clarity. The demand is internal: stop outsourcing your standards to circumstance. [...]

Raise Standards, Catch the Breath of Action

Even the finest rigging stalls without timing. Classical rhetoricians called this kairos—the right action at the opportune moment. Baldwin’s public interventions often exemplified this sense for occasion, speaking when silence would calcify injustice. Modern organizational research echoes the point: Karl Weick’s “small wins” (1984) shows how modest, timely moves create updrafts that larger efforts can ride. Thus, readiness means pairing standards with triggers—decisions in waiting—so that when a gust arrives, you pivot from intention to execution without friction. [...]

Redefining Success: Living by Your Own Standards

Trusting oneself is essential in rising to one’s own standards. This self-trust empowers people to make choices that may diverge from the mainstream yet lead to deeper satisfaction. For instance, Steve Jobs famously dropped out of college to pursue his vision, ignoring conventional wisdom in favor of his passion—a decision that ultimately changed the landscape of technology. Such anecdotes reinforce Fierstein’s belief in personal conviction. [...]

The Cost of Complacency: Lessons from Janis Joplin

Ultimately, Joplin’s words reinforce the importance of active choice. By recognizing when we are settling, we reclaim agency over our futures. The adage serves as a call to relentless self-assessment and courageous striving, inviting us to challenge passivity and cultivate the life we truly want. In the end, the legacy of Joplin’s message is one of empowerment—reminding us that settling is a silent architect of our destinies. [...]

Know Your Worth. Never Settle. — Anonymous

This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing and appreciating one's own value and abilities. [...]