The Psychology of Comparison and How to Stop: I think it's natural for people to compare themselves to others above them in some way, even though it makes people feel bad when they see someone so much better than them. The article lists some tips for avoiding comparison that I've discovered on my own (though I could have used it a long time ago). I don't think the "Being a racehorse" tip works for me though, since I look at the people better than me and think "What are they doing that I could do to improve myself?" You can learn a lot from examining others. I do think it's important to realize that the great work of art or writing you're looking at wasn't created from a single stroke. Seeing it that way and not as the culmination of hours of effort combined with practice can be really discouraging.
14 Signs your perfectionism has gotten out of control: Yeah I can relate to #3. A lot of times I've found myself doing something, thinking it's mediocre, trashing it, and start doing something else. Though I don't really have a fear of failure, I just think that I'm not satisfied with my work so far. Over time though, I learned that some mediocre work is better than no work at all. I can also sympathize with #10, since I never feel like I'm truly good at what I do. At worst I'm bad at things, and at best I'm alright at things. Sometimes I get a really high grade on an assignment and I think "I guess I'm good at this after all" though. Luckily this thinking doesn't stop me from trying anymore, since the way I see it, there's always a way to improve. My peers talking to me from a more objective view also help.
