I really like the way this thread is going We tend to compare, and indeed I think resist the idea of not comparing because of the way most of us are raised...not just family, but society as a whole... while it might be SAID it's important to "keep up with the Joneses" anymore...certainly that is the idea we get, imo.

Try and think of it as ---for this exercise--- "YOU ONLY".... You have abilities. You have innate understandings, feelings, and purpose, imo.

When you read a book about learning about jobs... you don't have to have a comparison of someone who does that work, to determine you would like to do that. You don't have to compare yourself to others who already do that work, to figure out if YOU can do that work. If you want to do that work, you study and do it.

I don't think that we compare our "best work" in relationship to others. Well, you might, but why do that? Isn't your best, your best, regardless of what another's best is??? If you only give enough to be as good as the next person, or, and here's where it's really not good, find that your "best" isn't as good as the next guy's... where does that take you? Certainly not good self esteem!

No, you don't need another to determine if YOU are doing your best...in anything etc.

Yes, there will be others who come along and, if we allow, will teach us HOW to become better...but still we don't need to do the comparing for ourselves. The other person might be able to see where we are, and where we could be. But for the time being, you're still doing your best, right?

Think about this.