High Standards? What's Wrong With That?

Let's talk standards, shall we? I have been told that I have high standards and I usually answer, "Yes. Correct." End of conversation, right? Wrong! A lecture usually ensues regarding how disappointment is certain when you hold such high expectations for yourself. But here is what I really think. Why does it matter what kind of expectations or standards we set for ourselves if it is not reflective on others? I don't hold others to these same expectations, they are personal to me and they are goals that I live by to achieve personal successes in this short life that is mine.

I am often very reflective on these conversations. Usually, when I am trying to meditate, a practice that I have not set such high standards for because my brain lives in fast forward, I ponder why there is judgment on how another person lives. Why does it bother us? And, when I am supposed to not be letting my mind wander, I have the answer. It's because we can't help but compare ourselves to others to measure our success or failures. Look at Facebook. A study found that those on Facebook are unhappier than those that are not. It was related to the fact that those on Facebooks watch lives unfold. Trips to another country, marriages, birth of a child, promotions...they are all displayed for the world to see and for others to say, I don't have those things. Well, maybe not. But what do you have? Love that, cherish that, I say loudly.

So back to standards. We kind of do the same thing here. We have a tendency to compare our standards to others and try to measure up. Don't do it! It will only end up making you feel more envious or less fulfilled. The person you compare yourself to will continue on their way, completely unaware that they were the catalyst to your bad day.

But I am a firm believer that setting higher standards for yourself is healthy. I was raised this way but even if I wasn't, status quo was never a place I wanted to find myself and when I feel myself becoming complacent, something in me pushes beyond. It can be uncomfortable and humility has definitely become a friend of mine. I love to hate her but she most certainly hates to love me. She and I, we have an understanding.

So, why the need to purge? Well, and I never get political here, but if I am to be honest, the political race for the White House has been wearing on me. I will never confess to be a Right Winger or a Left Winger because my political views are quite Wing Dingers (Hey, is that a party?) But here is was I truly believe in and this is where it all comes back to, yes...standards. If we are complacent with the status quo, if we believe in being rewarded for not trying to do better and grow, if we believe in receiving more for doing less and the government agrees and rewards this behavior, then as a society we become complacent, we dont' grow, and we do less. We are learning to become a stagnant nation and this kind of thinking will breed.

My first job was a paper route. I was nine and my friends, The Sullivan Boys, passed it down to my sister and I. It was great! Fresh air, walking, making a decent amount of money for only being in the third grade, wow! How cool. I became quite the sugar mamma, so much so that I paid all the dues to the underground club I belonged to, The Jean Jacket Girls. But I wised up when all of my money went into the jar and I never saw a return, especially after I was kicked out of the club for befriending a girl that the other club members disliked that week. I set my eyes on the next prize. I said good-bye to the paper route and expanded in the news distribution company where I soon became employed by The Coronet. My friend, Kimberly's, family owned this local news flyer operation. It was great! I worked hard and soon I was cranking out stuffing the papers with flyers, tying the stacks with twine and bagging them in what once took me two days, towards the end of my employment took me one. And onto the next job and etc.

It wasn't about the money. It was about getting better, doing better. I earned an honest wage and perhaps had I been paid more lavishly, I might have set my standards lower and given up on the idea of wanting to expand my knowledge base because, hey, I wasn't stupid. The mighty dollar can make the world go round, but I was paid appropriately for the work I was doing. It wasn't complicated. It didn't require high skill levels, it didn't require higher education, but it did require hard work and showing up. But just showing up doesn't equal wild crazy compensation. Taking it to the next level, does.

Thanks for listening. I know not all people will agree and some might think that this chick is crazy and to that I would probably answer, "Yes. Correct." For craziness, I set the highest of standards for myself because that is what makes this roller coaster of a life so rewarding.

Now, onto the delicious recipe. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I baked something green!!! But green doesn't always equal mouth-watering goodness. Trust me, this cookie does. Welcome to the Pistachio Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookie!!! It's almost better than the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies (Can you spot the Leprechaun?)

Ingredients.

4 1/2 cups flour

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups softened butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 3.4 oz pkgs instant pistachio pudding

4 eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract

4 cups dark chocolate chips

White and dark chocolate, optional

Instructions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350*

2.) Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder. Set aside.

3.) In a large mixer, mis together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar. Beat in the pudding. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.

4.) Add the flour mixture.

5.) Add the chocolate chips.

6.) Scoop by the tablespoons full onto the baking sheet. I love how the dark chocolate looks next to the creamy batter. Yum, yum.

7.) Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until they are firm to touch. The tops should be slightly brown as well as the edges.

Now, here is where my higher standards for my baking comes into play. These cookies look tasty just the way they are, right? And they would be declicious.