I’ve been carrying on a personal challenge for a while – attempting to remain in the 90th percentile for any activities I attempt. To some extent, I think it’s in my nature to compete with others. Alternatively, it’s a good way to be certain I’m actually applying myself.
Some activities are harder than others to gauge, but I find this system provides a good metric. It’s exceptionally hard to be the best at anything, but if you’re in the top 10% then you can be comfortable knowing that you’re doing reasonably good work. If you’re not in the top 10%, then you know you need to improve your methods and/or put in more effort.