Why you shouldn’t compare yourself

As a middle-eastern girl in my twenties, I've noticed a few things about my society. The society I live in is structured on comparison. Ever since I was in grade 5, my mum (amongst other parents) would make me/ us study by saying stuff like  " study harder so you can be the top of the class". Our entire educational system is based on beating someone else to "first place" and comparing ourselves to the D-student when we don't feel like studying. I know it's learning from other people's mistakes and that it does somehow motivate you to work harder or study better, but does comparison really work on every single aspect in life? Isn't every person in this world truly unique with a unique set of finger prints and skills/ talent? When will we stop comparing ourselves to others and start comparing ourselves to OURSELVES?  When will we improve for the sake of being better rather than trying to beat someone else to the top? When we start  believing that God gives each person what they deserve and each one of us has a certain fate, we will live our OWN lives rather than somebody else's.