"comparison....need of approval and recognition..."

I originally quoted this in an older post, but I think I'll repost it here. It is as relevant to me now as it was then:

"The joy of the moment can be experienced at any stage of learning. We need only to recognize when we are guided away from ourselves by standards of performance based on comparison with others, or by the need of approval and recognition for accomplishment."
-Mildred Portney Chase, in: Just Being at the Piano