The right comparison helps you choose your next step instead of despising your last one.

Comparison itself is not the problem; the choice of what to compare against is. Held next to someone finished, your work looks like evidence of inadequacy, and the feeling that follows tends to stop you rather than direct you. Held next to where you stood a month ago, or one step further on, the same look yields a move you can make.

When you find yourself measuring, ask what the comparison is for. If it is not producing a step you could take this week, change the reference point. Look at people slightly ahead of you, and at your own earlier work.