Envy is a powerful and understandable emotion. Envy comes in two flavors, one that will help you and one that will hurt you. Unhealthy envy is feeling like you want something someone else has and even being willing to spoil it for them. Healthy envy is realizing you want to get to where someone else is and even admiring them for it.
Turning unhealthy envy into healthy envy requires a little tweak to your perspective of the situation and a realization that there is nothing wrong with wanting something that someone else has. Being in a place of not having doesn’t define you and there is nothing to be ashamed of with envy.
How to make envy work in your favor
Stop assuming favoritism
If you wander around thinking someone got something because they are the boss’s favorite you will never see the sacrifice or struggles they endured along the way. You will be blind to the hard work they put in and possibly the talent they really possess. You will not be open to receiving the knowledge they can share with you that could help you be successful.
Understand why you are envious
Maybe you are thinking it’s because you have been working hard or because you have been in your role longer or because you work in the background and not in the foreground. Go beyond the surface of your ego. Start asking what more can you do, how can I make an impact or how can I matter more. Stop thinking like a victim, it holds you back from victory.
Move the needle
When your peer’s success is overshadowing your own hard work turn the envy into motivation for you to think and do bigger. When you see that others are able to do it know that you can too. But, it won’t happen if you rest on your laurels basking in the sunshine of envy. Turn envy into your fuel and let it power your productivity engine.
Turning envy into motivation isn’t easy, these tips should help. Start making a concentrated effort to redirect your thoughts, ask yourself some tough questions and ignite the fire under your rear to motivate yourself to work harder. Once you’ve made it, pay it forward and help someone else who may be suffering from envy, it could even be you they are envious of.
Last updated on November 12th, 2018 at 08:39 am
