Setting Standards by Krystal Zellmer

I get to watch what standard I am settling for. Because “normal” is not the calibration I want for my life.

It’s so easy to slip into the mindset of “Well, everyone else is doing it.” But just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s aligned with your calling. My mentor, Jim Stovall, said it best:

“Every time you think you have arrived, you are just comparing yourself to the wrong people.”

That quote hit me hard. Because when I compare myself to others, I often lower the standard I hold for myself. I start justifying my limitations instead of championing my capabilities. I shrink my potential to fit someone else’s frame—and sometimes that frame isn’t even real.

Here’s the problem with comparison: we never see the full picture.We catch a glimpse, a slice, a curated snapshot.We don’t see what’s going on behind the scenes. We don’t see the sacrifice, the struggle, the toll, or the consequences.

And yet, we’re tempted to trade one area of our life for one highlight from someone else’s. We want the result without the journey. But the truth is, the result isn’t sustainable without the muscle it took to earn it.

The only accurate standard to measure your life by is you compared to you.

Will comparison ever fully go away? Probably not. We're wired to evaluate. But we can keep it in check. We can become conscious of when it shows up—and choose not to let it drive. One tool we teach at Personal Mastery is especially powerful in this space: Fact vs. Meaning.

When we begin to separate the facts of a situation from the meaning we attach to it, we gain elevation. We can ask, Is this comparison based on truth? Or just a story I’m telling myself?

Kimberly Zink often talks about the ability to view one situation from five different angles. Imagine how much freedom you’d gain if you did that every time you caught yourself in comparison. Instead of spiraling, you’d start strategizing. You’d regain power.

My life has radically transformed since I accepted that my judgment—of myself or others—doesn’t have to dictate my reality. Every day, we are given a God-gifted opportunity: choice.

So let me ask you:How will you use it today?

If you haven’t yet experienced Personal Mastery, this is your invitation. You’ll walk away with practical tools like Fact vs. Meaning and so much more—tools that will support you in living above average, beyond normal, and fully in alignment with who you were created to be.