Benchmarking yourself can be dangerous. Some people will find it motivating. Others will find it a burden. Personally I'd rather benchmark against myself - it's more fulfilling to beat myself than to beat some stranger. It certainly doesn't feel good to start thinking of yourself as +20% better than your friends.
If you really want to achieve something, you need to benchmark what you have accomplished against your goals; not benchmark yourself against other people, or even against your earlier self, its the accomplishment that matters, not you.
Good thought-provoking piece.