We each hold ourselves accountable to a certain standard, a version of ourselves that we feel we could or should be.

What this means is that in each action, we either live up to this version of self or we don't, whether you find yourself judging actions in this way or not.

The topic I want to explore is the effects of living up to or falling short of this version of self and the impact it has on our lives.

Why we do things well

An example that works quite well here is our schooling grade system. In grade 12, we each receive an ATAR. This ATAR determines which universities and degrees you can get into after graduating high school.

The obvious value in achieving a decent score here is precisely that: it provides options when choosing the next steps in your career through a university. Alternatively, if you already know you want to pursue something that requires a certain score, it makes sense to get that number.

The less obvious but equally powerful value in performing well here relates back to my point that we all compare ourselves to an ideal version of who we could be.

If you meet the subconscious standard of "success" in your mind during grade 12, you will be able to anchor on that achievement for many years. It creates momentum that propels you in the direction of becoming more like this best version of yourself.

The psychological impact of meeting these standards versus experiencing a moral failing/shortcoming can be more powerful than we realize. I would argue that this is more important to consider than the ATAR itself.

Anchors

The way I like to think about this is that you'd be creating anchors throughout your life where you lived up to your ideal self in a specific area that you can reflect back on during hardships.

Let's revisit the ATAR example. I don't believe that students who achieve higher scores have inherently more potential than those who score lower since there are so many factors involved. But what they do have moving forward is the anchor of knowing they can achieve academically, which makes them less likely to fear learning difficult concepts.

They are less likely to doubt their abilities in the future, and more often than not, courage is the barrier to success, not intelligence.

This doesn't only apply to significant life events but also to day-to-day actions.

If you set a goal to run 30 kilometers weekly and sleep through your first morning run, that would be a moral shortcoming. You are likely to feel bad for a while and stack more failings on top of this event.

The opposite is also true, hence the name 'wins stack'. If you consistently live up to a higher version of yourself, you are more likely to continue doing so, gradually becoming this person you've internalized.

Change in thinking

It's not an overly complex topic, but one that I think is worth reflecting on. When you choose not to go for that run or don't put decent effort into a project, you are not only missing out on the health or financial benefits, but you are also missing an opportunity to build another anchor into your life and create the first win of which many will continue to stack.