I cannot live up to my parents' standards - and that makes me feel terrible. I cannot live up to your standards - and that makes me feel terrible. I cannot live up to society's standards - and that makes me feel terrible. I cannot live up to other societies' standards - that makes me feel terrible. Perhaps the solution is to set my own standards? But I cannot keep them either - and that makes me feel terrible, unless I set incredibly low standards. Are low standards a solution? Not at all. That makes me feel terrible because I realize I am the type of person who has low standards. Trying to boost our self-esteem by trying to live up to our own standards or someone else's is a trap. It is not an answer.