Reread something you wrote two years ago. Cringing at it is proof you’ve grown.

Discomfort at your old work means your standards moved while you were not watching. If the past version still looked good, that would be the worrying sign, because it would mean nothing had changed. The wince is a measurement, and one of the few you get for free.

Go find something you made a couple of years ago and read it without editing it. Note specifically what you would do differently now, since that list is your actual progress. Then save something from today to embarrass yourself with later.