We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started.

Peak achievement says as much about where someone began as about what they did. Two people standing at the same height may have climbed very different slopes, and the one who arrived with less help did more of the work. Measuring only the summit rewards inheritance and hides effort. It also hides your own progress, since you keep measuring yourself against other people’s positions instead of your own starting point.

Pick one person you quietly rank below you and find out where they started. Then do it for yourself: name where you were three years ago, and count the distance rather than the gap.