Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to.

The quote argues that “wellness” is not merely physical health but a holistic state produced by aspiration and deliberate self-expectation. By naming life, love, creativity, and wisdom, Anderson frames flourishing as multidimensional: emotional intimacy, imaginative expression, and reflective judgment matter as much as material success. The warning is psychological as well as ethical: low expectations tend to become self-fulfilling, narrowing what one attempts and therefore what one experiences. “Every day and every decade” extends the idea across time, suggesting that high standards create ongoing purpose—an orientation that makes both ordinary routines and long life spans feel meaningful and anticipatory rather than stagnant.