If the only scoreboard you trust is somebody else’s, you’ll never know when you’ve won.

Borrowed measures never tell you when to stop. If the standard belongs to somebody else it moves whenever they move, so there is no point at which you get to be satisfied; you simply inherit the next comparison. Having your own definition is not lowering the bar. It is the only way to find out where the bar is.

Write down what would count as doing well, in your own words, in a sentence you would be willing to show somebody. Make it specific enough to check: the skill, the state of your life, the kind of work. Then at least you will know whose race you are running.