Last update: December 23, 2014
Envy is an unpleasant emotion, which causes unfavorable behavior and consequences for those around us. This is undoubtedly one of the most common emotional problems, and perhaps one of the least talked about. How does envy affect our life? Envy is an emotion that leads us to desire something that someone has or to want to experience what another is experiencing. To envy is to want something that others have. We can be envious of a job, a car, a good husband, a friend's charisma, someone's physique, etc .; everything we don't have and think we need to have to be happy, such as fame and success. The goal is always “to have more”.
What does envy involve?
The fact of constantly envying something leads us to be constantly dissatisfied and complaining, and slowly destroys us without us realizing it. Little by little, our vision of things shrinks, makes us see everything through a patina of fog, which does not allow us to see anything other than ourselves. For envious people, time is fading, it is dedicated to wanting what others have, expressing opinions and judging them, instead of realizing their dreams.
Envy takes us away from our goals, directing our energies in the wrong direction, or “the other”, instead of looking for the best opportunities within ourselves. It is, therefore, a complex and blinding emotion, which makes us forget that we are the protagonists of our lives, turning us into victims who waste their time, instead of living well and allowing others to live as they like. As Napoleon Bonaparte said: "Envy is a declaration of inferiority". However, envy, as we will see later, is an emotion that we can avoid, as we can leave it aside and stop complaining and try to achieve our goals.
Positive envy and negative envy
Positive envy is what we feel when we realize that the other has something that we would like but do not have, but that leads us to do everything to obtain it. By this we mean that we realize that the other has worked harder than us to get that something and that we must do the same. It is healthy because it does not cause us pain or frustration. However, there is another type of envy, which is worse because it continually generates malaise, unhappiness, pain and frustration because you don't have everything that others have. This makes us unable to get what we want.
It is a destructive emotion. This last type of envy blinds people and does not allow them to understand the value of their life, because they deny the value of everything they have. All their life they want to live that of someone else, without thinking that probably to achieve those goals they would not be able to endure and go through all the difficulties that lead to success. A popular saying explains this concept very well: "If you want my success, take my failure too". This is why it is important to take into account that many of the people who enjoy a privileged life today have been constant and patient, paying off with hard work, efforts and with the continuous desire to try to improve themselves little by little every day.
How can we fight it?
Envy is fought by thinking of ourselves. Our personal research is what gives meaning to our life. Our goals, our goals, our dreams and resolutions will strengthen our energy and our way of behaving. Each goal achieved by others can be transformed into a challenge for ourselves, a source of inspiration. It is better to admire than to envy. When we envy, the transmitted intent is to destroy others, but when we admire we only express our desire to learn how to get something from someone who has already succeeded. Dreaming, making plans and being a little better every day are the key to understanding that limitations are only mental. We must also understand that we must not compete with anyone, nor prove anything to anyone, much less we must achieve what another has managed to achieve because the important thing is to try to overcome our goals and our limits. We have to be the best version of ourselves!
Image courtesy of Ultrashock
