The difference between my comment and yours is that the meritocracy trap is a real thing that has been the subject of scholarly works. Also, I speak not from a place of disappointments, but rather from a place of great privilege. I am extremely lucky to be where I am (and yes, I worked hard for it too).
For an overview and references, see:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_meritocracy
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy#Meritocracy_trap