Your Work Ethic Isn’t the Same as Your Standard

The Standard | For Players Who Confuse Activity with Accountability

You show up early.
You stay late.
You say you want it.
You train more than most.

But here’s the part nobody tells you:
Your work ethic doesn’t mean anything if your standards are low.

Because grinding through bad habits isn’t progress.
It’s repetition with no return.

Work Ethic Gets You Attention.

Standards Keep You There.

• Work ethic says, “I’ll be in the gym.”

• Standards say, “Every rep I take will translate.”

• Work ethic shows up in public.

• Standards show up in private.

• Work ethic gets you noticed.

• Standards get you trusted.

You’re not under-recruited because you don’t work hard.
You’re under-recruited because your habits collapse under pressure.

You Think You’re Close. You’re Not.

You’re checking boxes:

• Reps? ✅

• Training sessions? ✅

• “Grind” content? ✅

The question isn’t whether you worked hard.
It’s whether that work made you harder to ignore.

If not, that wasn’t training.
That was wasted energy.

Standards Don’t Just Measure Effort.

They measure execution and intent.

• Did you take shortcuts when no one was watching?

• Did you demand game speed when the drill got boring?

• Did you chase comfort, or did you chase growth?

If your effort is loud, but your standards are soft — your ceiling is fake. Here’s the Cut:

You’re not falling short because you don’t care.
You’re falling short because you haven’t built habits that can hold up when it matters.

So keep showing up early.
Keep staying late.

But start demanding more out of every rep, every detail, every possession.
Because work without standards is just motion.
And motion doesn’t get you to the next level — execution does.