I sometimes catch myself thinking that someone else has all the luck. Perhaps it’s a famous sports figure or a movie star or someone whose YouTube video went viral. At those times, I have to admit, I envy their position, and feel jealous of their success.
The thing is that jealousy alone doesn’t ever help me forward. In fact, it puts me in a victim role — and I hate being a victim. So lately, when I feel a hit of jealousy coming on, I’m trying two things:
First, celebrate the other person’s success. If he or she can have it, so can I. There’s enough success to go around. And my success is uniquely my own.
Second, I can offset feelings of jealousy with actions that support my own success. So it may be that I invest in further training, or ask someone for advice about how I can move my own goals forward.
How about you? What’s your antidote to jealousy at work?
