If you have no idea what a percentile is, let me just explain it as simple as I can: The closer you are to the 100% percentile, the better tier you are at. If you are part of the 40% percentile, then it means that 60% of the total are better than you.
This works for tests, communities, and pretty much every place where there is some sort of competition.
That's me playing chess at a 10 minute time control, I am part of the top 14% of chess players within the chess website with the largest user base by far.
Does it mean anything? Not at all. I am far from being able of monetizing my Chess skills (other than my 3speak videos where I get destroyed by most of the Hive Chess community) and I will never be able to win competitive tournaments.
And yet, I am part of the 14% top of chess players in the world by chess.com metrics.
This begs the question, what percentile is a good percentile?
Not in chess, in general. In life.
I remember that back in high school I did some abilities and capacities test and I was in the 96%+ in all the metrics at a national level. Some could say I was some sort of prodigy.
But I wasn't, in fact I don't consider myself nowhere near of that status. I'm fairly able to do most things in life, and anywhere I put dedication, effort and time I excel, succeed and kick ass, but I actually need to put in the time unlike other true geniuses that just by watching for a while can emulate a near perfect scenario.
Back to chess. It took me 9 months to go from being part of the worse 10% of the chess players, to being almost on the other side of the balance.
Of course, the more you climb the ladder, the steeper it gets and the harder it becomes to just climb one more step... and just in case you think otherwise, I am at a level where 12 year olds beat me easily.
Don't get me wrong, in fact I am very proud about this accomplishment and to reach my goal of having a 1,500 ELO rating by December of this year would put me among the best 5% players in chess.com, a feature easier said than done, but if achieved, then it's a promise of wellbeing and fortune (in my mind, obviously).
But when is a percentile, a good percentile?
In terms of money, odds say that being part of the 1% is unattainable for everyone you've met and will ever meet.
I am not a commie, I don't think the 1% should be arrested just because they hold 95% of the world's richness. I think they should be arrested because of how they acquired that 95% of the world's money.
When can you say that enough is enough?
What percentile do you see yourself living at for you to say alright, I'm fine exactly where I am
Hard, isn't it?
Because just like me, when I reach that 95% percentile on chess, I might as well want to be part of the 4%.
And just like me, growing your stack might never be enough so, before getting rich I have one advice for you: Have very clear what percentile is a good percentile.