The Lessons of Envy

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I’ve always believed that envy is a bad thing. And if I just let it sit there inside me, festering, it is a bad thing. But if I take the time to stop and notice that I’m feeling envious, I can turn it around. I just tried it, and it worked.

In a book I was reading, the author mentioned that her favorite author is Mike Dooley. I looked him up and saw that he’s an inspirational author and speaker. I also saw that he was born in 1961, the same year as my husband and one year before me. I immediately thought, “He’s the same age as us, and look what he’s doing with his life.” And, as usual, when I start comparing myself to people who have achieved things that I admire, I felt envy.

When I realized that familiar feeling, I stopped and asked myself why I was feeling envious. I realized that this man has done what I’ve been afraid to do. He’s written inspirational books, and he gives inspirational speeches. I love to write, and the times I’ve done any public speaking have been successful. But I’m intimidated by the thought of writing a book, and I’m intimidated by the thought of speaking publicly.

What this tells me is that I still have work to do. I have to learn to get out of my own head and start working toward doing the things I want to be doing instead of being envious of people who are doing those things. If we take the time to notice it, envy can be a powerful teacher. We aren’t envious of people who have or do the things we don’t care about. Our envy can act as a powerful compass that points directly to the things that matter to us.