They Told You to Lower Your Standards. Don’t. Here’s Why.

Keeping them high is the healthiest thing you can do.

5 min read

Just now

Someone, at some point, probably told you that you were “too much.” Too ambitious. Too picky. Too intense. Too idealistic.

And for a while, you might’ve believed them. I did too.

I remember sitting across from someone I cared for, knees pulled up to my chest, trying to explain why something hurt me. He sighed, annoyed, and said, “Your expectations are exhausting.”

He didn’t mean my expectations. He meant my needs. My boundaries.

For a tiny moment, I wondered if he was right. Maybe I was asking for too much. Perhaps wanting effort made me demanding. But here’s what I know now, and what I wish someone had told me then:

You’re not “too much.” You’ve finally stopped settling for mediocre.

And the people who benefited from your confusion will always be the first to tell you to shrink.

Your standards are not the problem. They are the mirror of your worth. And anyone who tries to talk you out of them is terrified of what you become when you honour them.

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