^ This so hard.

It's taken me the better part of 14 seasons to really cement this mentality into my head.

Below Diamond (3000 SR) your gains and losses are impacted by your gameplay. Do not focus on the number going up or down. I have been going 50/50 and gaining 2-3 SR per trade. One time I fell from 2950 to 1300 and only just got back to 2500 last night for the first time in what feels like eternity. I have over 1750 hours in this game.

Play your heart out and learn.

Don't let social pressure hold you back. Play as a team player but don't let people pressure you into anything. Trust yourself and think critically. The more you learn each hero, map and all the interactions there are in the game the better you will be come by natural instinct. Self doubt is a detrimental thing. I know because I have lived in a hell of my own thoughts for far too long.

When you die, or lose reflect on what YOU could have done better to prevent it. Not only on your hero, but within the entire parameters of the game. You have so many tools at your disposal to work with. Just because something isn't used in pro play doesn't mean it wouldn't have applied in your particular instance. There really is an insane amount of knowledge one needs to absorb to really get a grip on this game, and it's changing all the time.

Good luck and don't let it get you down. It is, after all, just a game. And your rank is something to be proud of, it is an accomplishment. Just because someone else might have achieved a higher rank already does not take away the success you have had. There might be some wisdom that individual can share with you, should you chose to listen, and should they chose to share.