Some people started the race a lap ahead. Admitting that about yourself isn’t guilt; it’s honesty.

Starting positions are not equal, and pretending otherwise distorts everything downstream. Some people began with money, stability, contacts or simply a quiet house to work in, and none of that was earned by them any more than its absence was earned by anyone else. Naming your own head start is not an apology and does not cancel your effort. It is an accurate description of the course.

Say the advantage out loud once, without performing guilt over it. Then use it deliberately, including on behalf of somebody who did not get one. Being accurate about where you started makes you better at reading everyone else.