What Is the Baseline?
… is the wrong question to be asking.
You should be asking yourself, “What’s my baseline?”
From day one on this planet, we’re measured by baselines. This applies to all aspects of our lives. From IQ to salary to height and weight; from personal victories to career success to good health.
Now, don’t get me wrong, some of these baselines are science backed and integral to living a proactively healthy life. However, if my life so far has taught me anything, there are two things we need to remember in all facets of life:
(1) Many of these measurements are arbitrary (yes, even when it comes to health). They are often based on averages, or “norms,” and even anecdotal experience.
(2) Every single person is different. While there are objective, and tangible, measurements of most things, at the end of the day everyone has their own “true north” relative to their measurements of themselves; in this sense, life can be seen as more relative and less absolute.
Take IQ, for example —
A number derived from the results of various standardized tests. Since IQ tests are a bit overly simplistic and even anachronistic today, they serve as a good example here.
