Is it legitimate to compare yourself to other people? Internet says it is not and offer help on how to stop doing that. You should only compare yourself to your previous yourself, they say.
But that is a half-truth. Sure, it is unfair to compare where you are, because everybody has different starting conditions. But it is totally legit to compare:
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How much effort people put in
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Where do they put that effort
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How much do they use self-deception to comfort themselves vs. accepting the reality
So yes, you can and should compare yourself to other people, just don't go beyond these 3 criteria.