Standards let the right people in. Walls keep everyone out. Know which one you’re building.

There is a real difference between being selective and being closed, and from inside they can feel identical. One governs what you will accept from people who are present, while the other keeps anyone from getting close at all, usually after something went badly. Protection that excludes the good along with the bad has stopped protecting much.

Ask whether your caution has admitted anyone lately. If nothing has got through for a long time, that is worth examining gently. Keeping a standard means you still let people in when they meet it.