My Friend Markus And His Standards

Last week I met up with a friend and mentor, Markus Kallius. I only met him 6 months ago but he’s played a major role in my life helping me to elevate my business, streamline my intentions, and deepen my faith. He’s one of the best men I know.

He also happens to be a former bodybuilder who built a major brand selling health supplements. Getting to spend some time with him more casually and see the way he navigates the world, something became glaringly evident: He holds himself to a much higher standard than I do. 

Now I take pride in holding myself to a high standard, one that often draws attention to the more mindful choices I make. I’m the guy who declines eating the dessert when it’s ordered for the table. I’m the guy who is the only person that toasts without a glass of wine in their hand at special occasions. I’m the guy that says goodnight as the party is getting started. And I do my best to make the choices that are best for me without making anyone else feel judged, criticized, or worse about their choices.

Markus made choices that reflected an even higher standard, one that I knew was possible but hadn’t seen in practice in a while. I try to eat healthy, but Markus eats clean. He prepares his own food in advance to ensure it. 

I’m pretty conservative when it comes to getting to the airport to decrease any risk and stress that may come up from things not going according to plan. Markus insisted we were there 2 hours before his flight because it’s unnecessary to add any element of risk to something so easy to do, especially knowing that his family is waiting for him to get back home. 

Markus is connected to what matters most and communicates what needs to happen to secure it.

But that’s not to say that Markus’ way is better than my way, which is better than your way. It’s too incomplete to compare one person’s choices to the next because there’s so much context. People want, value, and prioritize different things. Your standards need to reflect your life. The important question to ask, though, is “Are you living up to those standards for yourself?”

I can speak for myself and somewhat for Markus on this. Markus said that he eats clean and takes care of himself because that’s what’s required to show up the way he wants to for life. He has an unreasonable amount of energy to him, a powerful spirit that anyone would admire, and it’s not by accident. He’s designed his life around that and has accepted the consequences. 

Is his life a little less pleasurable or inconvenient? It would appear so. But Markus would argue that the greater cost is to not have the capacity to give the world your fullest. That the more inconvenient thing would be to have to constantly make up for your own lapses and shortcomings that more stress or a worse diet would create.

It’s all a matter of perspective I guess! And I’m trying to get more of his.

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