Hold yourself to a high standard. Don’t make it an impossible standard, but don’t let it be too easy either. 以高标准要求自己。不要把标准定得太高，但也不要定得太容易。

Remind yourself frequently of that high standard. But never speak of it to anyone else, at least not in so many words. 经常提醒自己注意这一高标准。但千万不要对别人说起，至少不要用这么多话。

Instead, let your actions, your results, your priorities do the speaking. Express your high standard in the life you live, in the love, and value, and joy you give. 相反，让你的行动、你的成果、你的优先事项来说话。在你的生活中，在你付出的爱、价值和快乐中，表达你的高标准。

Take your high standard into consideration when making decisions small and large. As you grow in wisdom and experience, look for how you can raise that standard. 在做大小决定时，都要考虑到自己的高标准。随着智慧和阅历的增长，你会发现如何才能提高这一标准。

No one has a flawless concept of what makes life good, but you have some pretty good ideas from your own life and others. Codify those ideas into an intentional, specific standard that can nudge you to live in the ways you know are best. 没有人对什么是美好生活有完美无瑕的概念，但你从自己和他人的生活中却有一些相当不错的想法。把这些想法编纂成一个有意的、具体的标准，它能促使你以自己认为最好的方式生活。

Give yourself a good, honest and reasonable standard to optimize your own choices and viewpoints. Keep that standard at the front of your mind, from where its benefits will spread to every corner of your world. 给自己一个良好、诚实、合理的标准，优化自己的选择和观点。将这一标准牢记于心，它的益处将从这里传播到你世界的每一个角落。

— Ralph Marston - 拉尔夫-马斯顿