You can admire someone’s jump shot without using it as a ruler for your worth.

Admiration and comparison begin in the same place and travel in opposite directions. One lets you study something good and take it apart; the other converts it into a measurement of what you lack. The switch happens in about a second and without permission, which is why watching someone excellent can leave you either inspired or slightly sick. Same person, same skill, different instrument applied.

When you feel the measuring start, ask what exactly they are doing well and whether any of it can be learned. Curiosity about the method breaks comparison far better than trying to feel differently.