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Envy is the most stupid of vices, for there is no single advantage to be gained from it.
-Honore de Balzac
I am genuinely excited about today’s topic since I am currently working very hard on beating that envy, which rises in me whenever I see other peoples successes. For me, this happens mostly around my studies and my business goals.
The frustrating thing about this is that I feel guilty about that envy. I want other people to have the success they deserve, and I am truly happy for them. But still, this annoying feeling of envy creeps over me.
But what even is envy?
According to the Oxford Dictionaries envy is the resentful longing for the possessions, qualities, or other desirable things of someone else.
I believe that this feeling of envy as increased dramatically in today’s age of social media. Within seconds we now have the opportunity to see all the fantastic achievements other people have.
I can’t necessarily speak for men, but I know that this competitiveness is especially bad in women. Many women rather hate each other instead of building each other up.
However, most of us know that envy only harms us. Felicity Seekers like us want to create a life full of happiness and success. To do that, we first have to master the right mindset and therefore get rid of harmful thoughts as much as possible.
To do just that, here are 8 Ways To Overcome Envy. Enjoy!
1. Realize and accept your envy
To solve a problem, we first must become aware of it and take it as something that needs to be addressed.
So analyze yourself. Do you feel envious from time to time? If so, in what situation does that feeling occur?
Does it always happen when you scroll through social media? Does it happen when you get the grades for your exams? Or does it happen whenever you hear about a brilliant and unique business model?
Find what triggers your envy and then journal about it. I know I say this a lot but I am a huge journaling fan, and I benefitted immensely from it.
Writing your thoughts and emotions down on paper has something clarifying. It is like a homemade therapy session.
Once you know what causes your envy and what repercussions it has on you, it will be easier to tackle the problem.
2. Realize that the success of others helps you
Why should we feel envious of something that in the end, benefits us?
Other people’s success paved the way for us. It shows us what is possible and the steps we need to take to achieve this success ourselves.
Are you envious of the life a successful online entrepreneur is living? Try to find out as much as you can about him. Chances are, if you do step by step what he did while avoiding the mistakes he made, you can have equal success in a fracture of the time it took him.
Same goes for school or university. Analyze the overachievers of your class. What are they doing differently than you? Maybe ask them for some tips on how to study.
Most successful people had to fail their way to success. In doing that, they made the whole process easier for the people coming after them.
So whenever you feel envious, ask yourself: How could his/her success benefit me?
3. Cultivate an abundant mindset
A big part of feeling envious is the belief that the success of others in some way took something from you.
We feel like because there is one successful Motivation YouTuber that there can’t be another one. Therefore he robbed us of the opportunity to become a successful YouTuber ourselves.
This stems from the limiting belief of scarcity. We feel like there is a limit to the number of successful YouTubers out there. When in reality, we live in an abundant world!
Opportunities are endless. Money is infinite. Success is limitless. And the value you can provide to the world is unlimited.
Once you truly believe that abundance is all around you, there will be no need for envy anymore.
4. Compliment others
You might think that you are only able to compliment others after you got over your envy. And sure, in the beginning, you have to force yourself to be happy for others.
However, complimenting others and celebrating their successes does actually diminish your envy little by little. Seriously, try it. I myself was surprised at its immediate effects.
5. Start working!
If you use it the right way, envy can also be a good thing. It can motivate you to work harder.
If you are envious of others, work hard to get what they have. As I mentioned before, the success of other already shows you the way. Now you just have to decide to follow it.
And truth be told, all the time you spend obsessing over what others have, you could spend working on getting what you want.
6. Avoid envious people
I know, I’ve said it many times before, but you need to hear this quote again.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
– Jim Rohn
Therefore, how are you supposed to abandon your envy if all of your friends always talk with envy about other peoples successes?
Instead, spent time with people who support others and encourage them to achieve great things. If we work together, we can accomplish amazing things.
7. Stop comparing yourself to others
This one is rather obvious, but because it is so important, it deserves a place on this list.
The less you compare yourself with others, the less you will feel envious of their success.
Once you accept that every person is unique and therefore faces unique situations in life, you won’t want to have exactly what they have. Instead, you will want to strive for your version of what they have.
As soon as you reach that point, envy will give way to inspiration and motivation.
8. Be grateful for what you have
“Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.”
– Harold Coffin
Lastly, you should turn your focus away from other peoples lives and onto your own life.
No matter how horrible your life may seem, there is always something to be grateful for!
Once you find these things, you will feel happy and at ease. Why feel envious of other people when you already have so much to be grateful for?
Sure, you can strive for more. But do it out of a positive place and not because you feel like your life lacks something.
These are my 8 Ways To Overcome Envy. I hope that they will help you.
Do you have any other tips? As I am still working on overcoming envy myself, I’d appreciate additional ideas.
Until next time,
Sophie
