Benchmarks can be useful things to measure and try to beat. For example, stock investors try to outperform the S&P 500 with their investment choices. But benchmarks can be hindrances if all you’re trying to do is beat them. Why settle for just beating them when you could be crushing them? Your benchmark should be something above you, not below you or at sea level.
I read an interview with the great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden and he said the best team he had wasn’t the team that won the most games or championships—in his book, it was the one that came closest to reaching its full potential.
Benchmarks can be high, low, or somewhere in the middle. Pick the highest one. Strive to be the very best you can be. Don’t be satisfied when you reach or beat a benchmark if you can go further.