There’ll always be someone better than you. That’s not a reason to quit. It’s a reason to have teachers.

Somebody further along can be read two ways: as proof you do not belong, or as evidence the thing is possible and someone nearby knows how. The feeling is the same at first, a kind of sinking. What you do next is the actual choice. Treating better people as a threat makes you avoid them, which is the one move that guarantees you stay where you are.

Find the person in your gym, class or group who is clearly ahead of you and move closer rather than further away. Ask one specific question about something they do well. Specific questions get real answers.