Stepping Into Black Excellence | Tips to Building Standards

Are you the standard?

What does it mean to be excellent? Notice the prefix is “be,” meaning it has be to engrained in you and a part of your character. We are talking about standards here. What is a standard? By definition, a level of quality or attainment. So to be excellent is to have attained quality, but by what standard do you measure that? This is starting to sound like an audit. And for the right reasons because it is. Here is the root of a standard. Think of it this way. A student takes a standardized test and his teacher grades it based off a standardized key. This means regardless of what the student puts on the paper, there is already a correct answer. She is just checking to see if they got it right. Their grade reflects whether or not they retained the information taught throughout the semester. Now think about the standardized key as a symbol for your core values and moral standards, also known as your character. Consider what the student writes on the paper is symbolic of situations in life that come to reveal you to yourself. Here is when your boundaries are tested. Are you an anything goes kinda person, or do you have some dignity about yourself? Here are some questions I asked myself when redefining my core values to make way for boundaries and standards in my life.

* How do I see myself?

* What will/won't I do?

* What will/won't I say?

* What are my passions and strengths?

* What are my life goals and objectives?

* What is/are my weakness(es)? (Because let's face it this is when we uphold our standards the most.)

* What am I willing to fight for?

* What do I believe in?

* What's important to me?

At this point it should be evident that self-esteem is cultivated based on your standards. The saying is know your worth and then add tax. It is likely, the higher your standards, the greater your character and the more confident you may be. This is why I say your values lead the way for excellence since they provide us with focus, direction and a plan.

Excellence can be taught.

At one point in my life, I did not know what it meant to have standards. I heard terms like black excellence, but truthfully, I did not understand that it had anything to do with my values, character and how I viewed myself. It was not until I encountered the Holy Spirit that I would meet “excellence.” What I learned is that, excellence is part of our identity in Christ. It is just something about God’s spirit that leaves no room for anything less. While writing Ground Up Self-Love Workbook, I dry fasted 3-4 days out of the week for almost seven months. One time, I went nine days fasting, of which seven were dry fasting days, meaning no water or food. It was then I encountered the Holy Spirit at such a high level. It seemed I had no choice but to produce the excellency of His spirit and to learn just who I am and what I am capable of by His spirit. You may or may not have heard the saying, new wine. This phrase is referencing the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us, no man takes new wine and puts it in old skins. Those skins are our earthly vessels. For this reason, we pour ourselves out through humility so the LORD can fill us up with His spirit. When you are excellent in spirit, it is only natural that energy will exude in all you do. It is our being that produces our doing. We are, after all, human beings. Elevate your experience as one. For me, fasting opened my eyes to this new level of existence and consciousness. If you have ever experienced the effects, you know after three days you develop an insane degree of laser focus. So much so, you make little to no mistakes because of your tunnel vision.

"At one point in my life, I didn’t know what it meant to have standards."

Character building!

The thing about morals and standards is when you grow up without any defined core values, you tend to go with the flow. And I will be the first to tell you, that is a Big NO, NO! When you experience someone who is easily influenced, you should know they lack discernment. It is said stand for something or you will fall for anything, and this is a person who lacks moral standards. If you grew up without correction or consider yourself spoiled, it is likely you expect life to be easy. You may or may not know how to spot a threat. Since everything was given to you, you may not want to work for anything because you do not understand the principle of hard work, ethics and integrity. We hate to hear it, but those who may have experienced a hard knock life have endured more character building moments and are well equipped with discernment, moral standards and core values. Their parents could have been viewed as strict in their youth, but the installation of good character will pay off in the end. At the root of it all is correction and discipline. Often we do not interpret that as love but it is. You could just call it tough love.

Final Thoughts | Fasting changed my life.

What’s helped you step into your highest expression of excellence? If I was answering that question, I am sure you know my reply. Fasting has quite literally changed my life. I did a blogpost centered on my fasting journey because just as loud as I am about the benefits, I must share some hard truths. Check it out https://www.groundupselflove.com/post/lately-i-have-been-triggered-by-food-eating-disorders , To dive deeper and step into your expression of God's excellent spirit and consciousness, click the link below to purchase a copy of my Ground Up Self-love Workbook. It's your resource for all things self-love and alignment. For a practical step by step guide, check out my ReAlign Masterclass & Workshop and heal at your own pace and convenience. If you are looking for community to do this walk with, join my self-love focused Pretty Beast Fit VIP Community.

Get Book

La'Tara Jackson is Author/Owner of Ground Up Self-Love Workbook and .com, and Holistic Coach both certified in personal training and yoga. She has over eight years experience in nutrition and wellness and it all began with being a single mom desiring a better life for herself and children by starting a woman's community bootcamp that would go on to change the lives of many. And that was just the beginning.

Total Body @ Home Fitness

Buy Now

ReAlign Masterclass E-course

Buy Now