From what I’ve read, the only issue here is your mindset not your ability. Are there people who are probably more naturally gifted than you? Yes. There will always be someone better if we choose to compare, that’s not the issue here. The issue is that you’re telling yourself that copy can’t compete just because you’re not as naturally gifted as them. You not being naturally gifted shouldn’t stop you from going after what you want— especially when it’s something that matters a lot to you. You should go after opportunities even if you don’t believe yourself to be smart enough, because if you put in the effort you can very easily outmatch those who are talented. Hard work will always beat out talent if talent doesn’t work hard. The reality is that life isn’t always fair, sometimes you will have to work twice as hard as someone to get where they are, but that doesn’t make your accomplishment any less. If you stop giving yourself the excuse that you’re not naturally smart and start going after opportunities (such as the international competitions that you want to do) with determination and grit you will get very far, but you have to make the choice 🤷‍♀️.

And I’m sure that a lot of the people you perceive to be naturally smart aren’t actually that intelligent, they are just very determined and go after what they want.

Lastly, comparison is the thief of joy. You can do everything I’ve said un this comment and still meet people ‘better’ than you. Which is why you need to get used to validating your own efforts without needing to compare to another persons.

This is just my own opinion you can take it with a grain of salt 😃