The Importance of Standards

The Importance of Standards

I got this story from one of my study booklets. I found it interesting and wanted to share it with you.

There was a farmer’s son in Ethiopia. He was very bright, but his parents saw no need to send him to high school. After all, why would a farmer need so much education? But the son had a burning desire to study, and because his parents recognized his special gifts, they allowed him to enter secondary school. He was older than most students in high school, but he was determined to do well.

The secondary school was some distance from home, so he rented a small house in which to live. Every weekend he returned home to see his parents and to help on the farm. When he returned to school, his mother made sure that he had enough food to last a week.

He noticed that many students at the secondary school were Christian. He had seen their churches in the neighborhood and wondered what they believed. He listened as students shared their beliefs with him. He was curious about some of their beliefs. His Christian friends invited him to visit the church in town, and he accepted the invitation. Soon he was attending regularly. His friends taught him about the beliefs that he was curious of and in time he joined the baptismal class.

He began telling his family and non-Christian friends what he had discovered. Some, including his father, thought he was crazy; but others listened to what he said and how he had changed in dealing with his behavior. However, when he was baptized, his parents sent him away from his home. His friends saw how he was treated and noticed that he did not retaliate when treated badly. One by one those with whom he had shared his faith followed him to the church.

STANDARDS

What is your state of mind?

Where do you stand?

When you are on the pathway to where you are headed in completing the goals you have set up for yourself, have you considered the standards that you will go by? Have you considered how far you will go and what lines not to cross?

The young boy in the aforementioned story set some Christian standards that he would go by. He would still act in love to those who even treated him badly. What are your standards in your search for work, wealth, acknowledgement, etc?

If you have a career goal set for yourself, I hope you also have a standard by which you measure yourself. You see, some people will decide that they will make it to the top no matter whom they step upon. Some people decide that it is ok to “fudge” a little on their taxes or tell a “little white lie” here and there to get what they think is ahead of the game. Some people think that if they don’t get it now at all cost, then it never will happen. What are the things, no matter how small, that you do to get by that may be questionable in dealing with your standards and the type of person that you choose to be?

When building a career or business, it is extremely important to be honest in your dealings with others. You will gain their trust and their business in return. If you are “fudging” here and there a little along the way, eventually you will be found out and will lose their trust and their business. In dealing with families, your word is your bond. It must be trustworthy and followed through. If you speak and give your word and don’t keep it, your family, especially the children, will not respect you and will remember it and bring it back up to you one day.

When setting up goals for a business, set up the standards that you, and all you employ, will go by. Stick to that so that all will see that you are an upright person. Your standards identify your character… the type of person you are. Everyone will see that by your words and actions. High Standards is something that is missing in the business world today. Be strong in your decision to be fair and to do what is moral. Step out of the mold of this dog-eat-dog society and have a state of mind that says I will go this far and I will go no further.

The decision to have integrity and high standards will bring joy to your family and friends, customers to your business, put money in your pockets, and give you a feeling deep down of satisfaction, knowing that you made it and you did it the right way.