Everybody will have different reference tracks that they have a story with. Find the songs that blew you away in the past or now. Make them a staple when you get in new toys. When you are producing or mixing do not use those reference tracks at all and go with similar style and genre to the reference song. Also make sure the reference song of the mix you are about to do is not obscure underground but a bigger "hit". It will raise the level you will have to mix to.