Make the New High the New Low
Turn each achievement into the minimum standard for your next level
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 90%
When a person reaches a new high, the model asks them to treat it as the lower boundary of their emerging identity rather than a peak to defend. They select a higher target, define how someone operating at that level would behave, and convert those behaviors into repeatable standards. Gaps then become prompts for action: find knowledgeable peers, study people who have achieved the result, obtain coaching, and publicly claim the goal to create accountability. The mechanism is not affirmation alone. A changed standard alters daily decisions, while those decisions create evidence that supports a stronger identity. Progress is reviewed through behavior and forward momentum, recognizing that major outcomes often take longer than the original deadline.
Origin
Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show
Core principles
- 01People tend to produce results consistent with what they believe they deserve
- 02A breakthrough can become a new baseline rather than a stopping point
- 03Daily standards translate identity into behavior
- 04Public commitments create useful accountability
- 05Large goals may require new peers, knowledge, and mentors
How to run it
- 1
Set the new baseline
Take a meaningful recent achievement and decide that it represents the minimum level you intend to maintain or exceed.
Pro tip Choose a baseline that stretches you without denying current constraints.
Watch out Do not turn the baseline into shame when normal fluctuations occur.
- 2
Name the next level
Choose a specific outcome that requires you to operate differently rather than merely work longer.
Pro tip Make the target concrete enough to expose capability gaps.
Watch out A larger number without a mechanism is only a wish.
- 3
Define identity-aligned standards
Ask how a person already producing that outcome would consistently make decisions, use time, and solve problems.
Pro tip Translate the identity into observable daily or weekly actions.
Watch out Avoid performative behaviors that imitate status rather than create value.
- 4
Close capability gaps
Seek books, peers, mentors, coaches, and experiences that provide missing knowledge or models.
Pro tip Spend time with people for whom your target is familiar and discuss their actual practices.
Watch out Do not outsource belief or responsibility to a mentor.
- 5
Claim the goal
Tell trusted people what you are pursuing so that accountability reinforces your standards.
Pro tip Share the next action as well as the desired outcome.
Watch out Public declaration does not replace execution.
- 6
Review the evidence
Evaluate whether your standards are producing forward momentum and adjust the strategy when they are not.
Pro tip Separate an unwavering aspiration from a strategy that may need to change.
Watch out Do not interpret a missed deadline as proof that growth is impossible.
In the wild
After earning $1 million in personal income, Martell set a $5 million target. He asked how someone producing that result would behave, recognized the need for different peers and knowledge, and used the gap to define higher standards.
→ The larger goal prompted new behaviors and resources instead of allowing the first milestone to become a permanent ceiling.
Martell announced a sprint triathlon 45 days before the race even though he could not yet swim. Telling people created peer pressure and forced the immediate next action of going to the pool.
→ The public commitment turned an aspiration into accountable action.
Common mistakes
Relying on affirmations alone
Repeating a target without defining standards, acquiring skills, or taking action does not change the underlying result.
Confusing standards with self-punishment
A higher baseline should guide decisions, not erase rest, health, or honest recognition of current circumstances.
Hiding the goal
Keeping the ambition entirely private can remove the peer accountability that helps sustain difficult behavior.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for ambitious people whose behavior slows when they approach the upper limit of what feels normal or deserved.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as a substitute for sound strategy, financial realism, recovery, or evidence-based planning.
From the transcript
“What I would encourage people to do is every time you get to a new high, convince yourself to make it the new low, right?”
“what are you willing to do every day that if you trusted that you just showed up that way every day, that you would get…”
“We want to be held accountable to our goals, and that is required if you truly want to step into your power.”
From the episode
How to Push Past Your Revenue Ceiling with Dan Martell
Dan Martell