Maxim
Ability grows with effort; measure yourself against who you were yesterday.
“Let a wise man blow off the impurities of his self, as a smith blows off the impurities of silver one by one, little by little, and from time to time.”
Buddhism · Ancient (before 200 BCE)
Translation: public-domain translation (Müller)
Talents are a starting point, not a verdict. The useful comparison is with your own past self, and every honest effort moves the line.
Related expressions
“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”
— Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life (2018), Rule 4 (rule title); Random House Canada edition, checked against the book's contents as shown on Google Books (that listing drops punctuation)Watch on YouTube (0:00–0:16) ↗Jordan B. Peterson discusses this rule (fan upload)“People with a growth mindset believe their abilities can be developed through effort and learning.”
— Carol S. Dweck, Mindset (2006): summary of the idea via Wikipedia (paraphrase, not a direct quote)Watch on YouTube: The power of believing that you can improve | Carol Dweck ↗Carol Dweck discusses this idea“If you can one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day. Yea, let there be daily renovation.”
Score
Moral Rank 48.7 · Evidence E = 10.90
E = ln(1+2.23) + √2.23 + 3·1.74 + 1.5·2 = 10.90