All true improvement comes from understanding.

When you see a person that, in your perception, is "better than you", you may have an instinct to think "that person is braver\more dillegent than me", thereby judging yourself. But excibitng courage\dilligence as you probably precieve them in that context, is something that takes effort, and now matter how strong a muscle is, its use is temporary. One person may be able to hold a large weight over his head for 30 minutes, while you can only hold it for 5 minutes, or 5 seconds. But neither in your case, or his, is this state of holding the weight the "base state" of the person. Thus, if someone else seems CONSISTENTLY "better" than you in some sense, the difference beetween you is in something more basic, most importantly, something that does not require effort. I think people should always look for a way that 'fits' them better, rather than judging themselves for not working hard enough in the current way.