Raise your standards. If you are not quite hitting the mark every time, it is time to raise the mark. You need to expect more from yourself than from anyone else, and you need to expect more from yourself then anyone else expects of you. You have to set the standard with yourself to accept nothing less then your best in all you do. There should be no compromise here. You know what your best is, so give all of it.

 Take ownership and pride. When a child takes ownership of something they take far better care of it. The same principle applies here, before and changes for the better can take place, you have to take pride in knowing that you are responsible for how you turn out. Take responsibility for your position in life. You have to realize that you are in control of where you end up, your future, and be proud of that fact. Do not play the role of a victim, or you will never enjoy the amazing opportunities that life offers everyone.

 Get excited. If you want to expect more of yourself, it is time to get excited about the fact that you are the one in control of whether or not you are going to get everything you have ever wanted or not. That is exciting, isn't it? Imagine the life you will lead if you go after your dreams and accomplish them. This is exciting. If you can get excited about what the future holds, you will start expecting more from yourself because you will be disappointed when you do not live up to what you could live up to.

 Write in a journal. If you want to do something that will help you expect more from yourself, you have to learn what to expect. You are full of great ideas, and you have a lot of potential. So, as those great thoughts run through your mind each day, write them down. You will find that if you take the time to write things down you will find it much easier to decide what you want, and much easier to see the pathway to get there. It is a great way to capture your potential so that you can see how great it is, and thus expect more from yourself.

 Get a role model. A great way to expect more from yourself is to get a role model you want to be like. Then write down the steps of how to get there, and what you will do each day to make these steps happen. Then, if you do not do it you will be disappointing yourself. Look at your role model, decide what it is that you most respect about them, and then work toward becoming that yourself.

If you can do these things you will find that you will start expecting more of yourself. It is also a good idea to involve other people in your desire to better yourself through higher expectations. Often times if others expect more of you, you will too so that you do not let them down.