It sounds like you need to do a month vacation (or two weeks, whatever you can). The first half of your vacation, go off-grid completely. No cell phone, no comp

It sounds like you need to do a month vacation (or two weeks, whatever you can). The first half of your vacation, go off-grid completely. No cell phone, no computer, no internet - just you, your tent, and nature. Be it camping/fishing/hunting/surfing/skiing - spend at least a week explicitly not staring at a screen - just de-stressing and listening. Get an hour massage, go swimming and soak in a hot tub, take a legit vacation that would make both your younger self and will make your older self jealous. When you're back from vacation, you can plot a new course for success, with reasonable milestones. edit: to answer the question in the title: When you find people that are better than yourself, write to them with two simple points: 1: let them know what exactly it is that you admire in their work 2. politely ask for specific resources/advice with regard to that thing. When you find someone that is better than yourself, it should be reassuring rather than stressful because 1) it proves that it is possible to be that good and 2) it provides you an example to learn from. You can build upon the work they've done. You don't have to start from scratch/reinvent the wheel - you are actually at the advantage.