we will never be the best at anything. there will always be somebody better whether in the past, present or in the future. however, this fact does not mean we can not be great at what we do.
it is easy to become an irrational egotist when we feel that in order to succeed we must consider ourselves better than others. after all, design (especially) is such a subjective occupation; we must constantly seek the approval of others, and as often as we try we cannot help but take good critique a bit too personally.
the difference between true confidence and irrational egotism is just a bit of humility. that is the philosophy i take to design. i have so much to learn. i will never fully master everything i enjoy doing, but i can still be great.
but there is a great freedom in that which could otherwise be called a pessimistic outlook. learning is a lot easier when you know you have much to learn. getting better is a lot easier when you know that you are not the best in the world.