People in other time zones aren’t ahead of you. They’re just in a different time. Same with other people’s lives.

Being somewhere else on the clock is not being further along. There is no shared schedule everyone is measured against, though it can feel like there is when people your age reach things in a different order. What looks like a lead is usually just a different sequence.

When comparison starts, get specific about what you actually want rather than what the other person has. Ask whether you would trade your whole situation for theirs, since that is the real offer on the table. The honest answer is usually no.