Some say the real test of success is whether or not a man can earn more money than his sister-in-law’s husband, LOL. 😀 It’s funny because there’s some truth to that statement. It’s human nature to be jealous of others.
But at the end of the day envy has no upside. Being resentful of someone else is a waste of time. If we can learn to curb our jealousy then our lives will become so much better. 🙂 We will become more happy, less stressed out, and can make better decisions. Famous investor Warren Buffett once said, “As an investor, you get something out of all the deadly sins—except for envy. Being envious of someone else is pretty stupid. Wishing them badly…- All it does is ruin your day. Doesn’t hurt them at all, and there’s zero upside to it. If you’re going to pick a sin, go with something like lust or gluttony. That way at least you’ll have something to remember the weekend for.”
Overcoming Jealousy
How to stop being jealous? Well we can start by not comparing ourselves to other people. Then we need to boost our self confidence, develop a more optimistic view towards others, and learn to trust and let go. Finally we have to look at the bigger picture. 😀 From an objective point of view there is little difference in relative wealth among most people in developed countries. For example, someone who makes $10/hour has access to the same essential services in life as someone else who makes $50/hour. In the grand scheme of things most people are doing fine. Simply living in North America and having access to clean water, public infrastructure, and the internet already makes us some of the richest people in the world. Anything else above and beyond like having an Apple Watch is just a luxury.
Real happiness comes from within. We should focus on our own goals and ambitions. Once we understand that true fulfilment comes from ourselves, and not from other people, then there’s no longer a need to blame others, or envy them. 😉 And that’s how I get over being jealous. Hopefully this way of thinking will help other people too. Instead of being jealous of other people we should learn to be inspired by them and work towards meaningful lives for ourselves. 🙂
——————————————————–
Random Useless Fact
Jealousy is human nature. No matter how we say we’re not, deep down inside we’re a tad jealous. But we all should focus on ourselves and not others like you said 🙂 I may not make much at my day job. A lot of people look down on me but I know my true self worth. Maybe it’s all in my head!
PS Love the couple pic with the husky. TOO FUNNY!
I like the husky’s frustrated expression, lol.
Jealousy is part of human nature, we just have to recognize it for what it is. It has been and always will be human nature to want more or better. After all, if we did not have dreams a lot of us would just roll over and snore all day even if the old lady said we snored all night already.
I have this saying up on my wall. some times it is a good idea to take a step back to actually see what we have already and not how much we want to have.
“IT IS BETTER TO LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE THAN TO HAVE WHAT YOU LIKE”
How often do we hear of the rich and famous having psychiatric/health/romantic and even money issues. Take that step back and maybe see how well off you are compared to how well off you want to be.
RICARDO
I just learned today that hundreds of millions of people in India live on less than $5 a day. It really is better to be happy with what we have. The grass will always be greener on the other side, but at least we have a lawn and we should learn to make the best of what we have.
Jealousy is a human nature but if you can recognize it and be at peace with yourself, you may be able to avoid such temptation.
I’d rather rethink my reality and be at peace with my situation than be jealous all the time. I like how the first three comments for this post all start with the same line of thinking lol.
You’ll never be happy if you keep comparing yourself to others but you can also turn that jealousy into something constructive and learn from that person and try to replicate their success.
Hm, yes. Use that emotion as motivation to get ahead instead of simply feeling bad about yourself. Good point.
@ Mashed;
You can be very happy comparing yourself to others if they are worst off than you.
Trying to replicate the success of people who have screwed up their lives for a few dollars more is not exactly good either.
DO you really need three big screen TVs and five cars? Maybe if you have a hotel but otherwise it is time to use your head (not the little one because it will screw you around) and appreciate what you have.
RICARDO
Oh, I love the picture of a jealous husky! 🙂 I think jealousy is just normal, but you need to control it or else it will bring you down.
Like others have already said, it’s normal to feel jealous, as long as we don’t let it consume us. People who are filled with envy are not only problematic to their surroundings, but they’re also a torment to themselves.
I’ve always prided myself on being happy for other people. It can be a struggle sometimes if the other person who has more isn’t haught or arrogant about it, but in general I root people on and want them to have success. If someone is getting things I want, I’m only more motivated to go get it myself but I don’t begrudge anyone, I think that is petty.
That sounds like the kind of attitude that will make you a lot friends. Don’t wish ill on someone else. Be supportive instead.
Jealousy is an interesting topic. I am human, so I have been experienced the green monster, as it is sometimes referred to as. As everyone here is saying, it’s totally natural. That being said, there are good and bad kinds of jealousy. And you can take that jealousy and make it productive, or you can make it very destructive. I like the points you have made in this post, and if I notice myself being jealous of someone, I will try and return my focus to myself and my own goals. Thanks for the reminder to be mindful.
Jealousy is interesting and also can be a very complicated part of life. Someone once said there is no greater glory than love, nor any greater punishment than jealousy.
This is too funny, how the world view America now. 😛 … It’s almost like they have a race with those handicap carts. You should do a post of the American Dream then – house with garage, 2 kids, 2 stories. Now – a tiny home on a 4 wheeler, surrounded with some beat up garden, and 2 millennial smoking weeds as marijuana is legalize everywhere.
How the times have changed, haha. Everything is more expensive now. It’s ironic that we have more actual “stuff” in the world today than 30 years ago, yet it feels like our lives are falling behind because we can’t afford many of the things that are out there. A top of the line Apple Watch for $10,000? I want one, but I can’t afford it.
Jealousy awareness and discussion has its place in the community. One can easily get jealous and distracted by those who have been doing this for years who have large accounts and making large gains.
Often all it boils down to is time. I have been striving for financial freedom for the past 7 years. I am ahead of those who just got started, but I am nowhere close to those who already have 20 years in the game. It’s important to put things into perspective and remind ourselves that nobody can have everything all the time.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/10/bc-real-estate-boom-wealthy-chinese-buyers/
Read comments and thought of your farms.
It looks like Canadians have some pretty strong feelings towards farm ownership. The comments were more interesting than the article itself. Thanks for sharing.
There is no keeping up with the Chinese. Like America, they have the extreme rich and powerful, then there people that making less than $1 per day somewhere in the country.
Income inequality is a major issue around the world. I think raising the minimum wage might help, but other say it could just lead to job losses. It’s hard to say what a fair policy looks like.
[…] no need to try to keep up with the Joneses or be jealous of them because the Joneses are buried in debt, and are no happier than […]