Recently, I was having a text conversation with a friend about furniture. I was complaining that I wanted a bigger bed, but not too big of a bed--enough room to spread out, but not enough to get lost. After a while, I felt I sounded too picky, so I apologized for “sounding like Goldilocks.” But then it dawned on me, what do I have to apologize for?

What is wrong with having high standards? What is wrong with knowing what you want? The answer to both, nothing. Everyone is entitled to be a little picky. Whether it is buying a piece of furniture or contemplating a relationship, it is OK to have high standards. Both are investments in your life, and you want them to work long term. Often times we settle, whether it is out of convenience or fear, but we need to reevaluate our approach. Everyone should take a page from Goldilocks.

Goldilocks often gets a bad rap. Sure, she should not have committed the crimes of breaking and entering, and vandalism, but her most well-known crime is that she is finicky. If you are familiar with Robert Southey’s “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” Goldilocks did not want porridge that was too hot or too cold (who could blame her), or a chair that was too big or too small--she wanted things just right, and that is a quality to admire.

So sample the different porridges of life, figure out which kind you want and go after it in all your Goldilocks glory.