Use Envy as a Guide
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
If I had a list of emotions, and I had to categorize them either as “good” emotions or “bad” emotions, envy would probably be relegated to the bad side. Envy is one of those emotions that I think I’m doing something wrong if I’m experiencing it. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that envy is actually a very good emotion. Because envy for me almost always gives me a clue about what I might want more of in my life.
For example, a friend of mine recently took up a new crafting habit. As she was explaining the tools that she uses and how she is teaching herself to do it, I felt envy. As a younger person I might have taken that emotion as a negative thing and felt negatively toward my friend because she was doing something that I wasn’t. However, as an older person, I recognized that my envy was just a spark of emotion that let me know, “Hey, I’m curious about this hobby too, and maybe I should check it out myself someday.” For me, envy is always a signpost to an avenue I might want to explore. If a friend of mine posts vacation pictures in a place I’ve never been and I feel envy, then I know that place should go on my future places to visit list. If I see a picture of a home, and I feel envious about the décor, then I know there are some tips that I can glean from that picture and mimic aspects of its décor in my own home. I no longer have to see envy or the people who bring that emotion into my life as negative. I can now actually view them as guides who show me paths for my own life that I didn’t know existed before.
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Sincerely Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team