They warn us about being envious, but how can you know what you want in life if you never experience envy? Find out why envy is a good thing sometimes and how you can use it to help you discover what you really want.
Do you remember the day you realized a great dream? Maybe you always had that dream, but it took a special event to make you realize it. What was that event? You probably saw somebody who had already achieved that dream for themselves, and you admired them for it. You said, “That’s what I want!” Were you angry with them because they had something you wanted or were you happy for them and you wanted to know how they achieved it? If you were happy for them, you experienced envy- and that’s not a bad thing. Join Mysticsense to find out all the ways envy can benefit you. Find out the difference between envy and jealousy and discover smart ways you can use your envy to help you make dreams come true.
What is Envy?
Merriam-Webster online defines envy as “ Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage. “ Aristotle said it was pain caused by seeing “ those who have what we ought to have.” Envy is seen as one of the seven deadly sins, considered as bad as greed, but others think of it as an emotional response that drives members of every species to achieve. An animal will see another animal being happy with its mate, and not necessarily want that mate for itself, but it will want the same amount of happiness for itself, so it will seek a suitable mate.
Is Envy the Same as Jealousy?
Some people use the word jealous interchangeably with the word envy, and they say both of them are the same as being covetous. They are not necessarily the same, though. Envy and jealousy are two different things, and attitude is what distinguishes them from one another. Jealous people will see someone who is happy with something they have in their lives, and they will wish the other person didn’t have it. Jealousy can make you not only wish to take something away from someone, but when you are jealous of a friend, it can cause a rift in your friendship. We don’t ever need to be jealous of the good things other people have. The universe holds enough wonderful things for all of us. Learn about working magic to bring abundance into your life here: Powerful Magic and Spells for an Abundant Life
Envy is seeing something you want and wishing for it. Any time we see something we want, we experience envy. We don’t necessarily feel threatened by someone who already has what we want when we experience envy though, fearful they have taken what we believe should be ours. We don’t necessarily resent them when we are envious either. When you are jealous, you experience negative emotions toward someone else. When you are envious, you experience admiration. You might feel sad or hurt, seeing what you want that isn’t yours, but you don’t begrudge someone else’s happiness with simple envy the way you would when you are jealous.
How Can Envy Be Bad?
Even if envy isn’t full-on jealousy, it can be a bad thing, and that is why people warn about it. It can make you become bitter if you don’t focus on moving forward to try and get whatever it is you see that you want. Envy can make you forget to count the blessings you already have if you overfocus on what you don’t have instead of what you do have. Envy can also make you feel inferior if you allow it to.
We Can Become Bitter
When you are bitter, you are hurt or angry because you feel something is unfair. Are other people’s blessings and well-earned achievements really unfair to us though? While it is true there are some shallow people in the world who want other people to envy them, most of the time, people don’t accomplish things just to rub it in our faces. They accomplish things because they want to be happy. Instead of being bitter, we can be happy for them and focus on what makes us happy too. Anybody can learn to be happy. Read all about walking the road to happiness here: The Path to Happiness
We Can Forget to be Grateful
When we see wonderful things that we do not have, it can make us forget about the great things we do have. This is one of the worst things we can do to ourselves. We can become so hurt by what we wish we had, that we feel empty and deprived. It's only human to feel that way sometimes. Especially if you've been working hard for something and you see someone else who seems to have gotten what you're working hard for - and they've not put as much effort into it as you have, it can make you feel like you don't have anything at all. When this happens, it's very important to remember all the good things that you have to be thankful for. Shifting our focus from things that upset us to things that make us happy and keeping an attitude of gratitude can keep us focused on the good things. Learn different ways to have an attitude of gratitude here: Learning to Have a Grateful Heart
We Can Feel Inferior
Another bad mindset we can fall into when we become envious is to allow ourselves to feel like other people are better than we are. Just because somebody accomplishes something first does it make them a superior person. Each of us have different things that we set out to accomplish, and each of us have different lives than the other people who are trying to accomplish the same things. Some people just don't have as much time as other people have. For example, if you don't have the money to purchase your first home when you want to, that doesn't mean that people who have that kind of money are better than you are. Never tell yourself that you're inferior to anybody else. You deserve respect no matter what. Find out how to get and give respect here: The Art of Being Respectful and Being Respected
How Can Envy Be Good for Us?
Envy isn't always a bad thing though. If you're envious of something, chances are it's just showing you something that you want. Envy can awaken old dreams and can encourage you to try again. Envy can make us want to live better lives and be better versions of ourselves also. These are all good things.
It Shows What We Want
A little girl grew up poor in rural America. She was so poor, once her mother had to cut up old clothes and scraps from blankets to sew a coat for her. One day, she saw a woman who she thought was the most beautiful woman in the whole world. The woman had long fingernails, high high heels, tight clothes, and a big fancy hairdo. She decided right then and there that that was exactly the way that she would dress when she grew up, and she did. Dolly Parton became famous for that look. Instead of being jealous of the woman, her envy showed her a part of herself and exactly how she wanted to be. If you use your envy to help to guide you to the things you want, you will have a happier life than if you were just jealous. Scorpios are one sign that get jealous sometimes. Read more about that Zodiac sign here: Scorpio Traits | Star Sign in the Spotlight
It Reminds Us of Old Dreams
Another little girl grew up admiring famous writers. She spent a lot of time reading and when she went to college, she got a degree in writing. She couldn't get a job writing immediately, but she was able to get jobs and pay her own bills. About 20 years later, she decided to try again after many years of admiring other people's writing. In a few short years, she was able to get a job that paid as much as her highest paying non writing job. She was also able to volunteer for two online publications, and ended up writing for four different organizations less than 10 years after she decided to try again. Sometimes when you are envious of something it awakens an old dream inside of yourself, and that means that it's time to go after that dream again.
It Makes Us Want to be Better
Another woman went to a summer music festival with a friend. At one of the concerts, a musician was playing the musical instrument that she was studying and she was very inspired by him. Instead of being resentful of the professional musician, she approached him after his show and asked him for some advice. It turned out he had once been a music instructor himself, and he was very happy to help a student. He inspired her to work harder and do better as a student. Who have you seen excel at things who you want to be more like? Allow your envy of them to make you want to be better at things instead of being jealous. Virgos love to teach. Read more about that Zodiac sign here: Virgo Compatibility in Love and Relationships
How to Use Envy to Your Advantage
It's not difficult to use envy as a tool to propel you forward in life. There are just a few things that you can do to make sure that happens. When you become envious, explore possibilities and see what you can do. Reach out to the people who you envy who have accomplished what you want and ask them for guidance. Let your envy motivate you to try and use it to revive old dreams that you've lost touch with. Most of all, always be happy for other people who have wonderful things in their lives.
Explore Possibilities
If you become envious of something, that means it's something that you want. Instead of being upset that you don't already have that, look into it. What will it take to get you that wonderful thing that you're envious of? Do you already have the tools and the ability to get that for yourself, or do you have to do some work to get it first? Anything worth wanting is worth working for. So, find out what it takes, and then get out there and get started. If it's possible for other people to have these things, then it's possible for you to have them also.
Ask for Guidance
Anytime you're envious of someone, think of them as a teacher who hasn't taught you yet. Don't be afraid to approach them and ask them for advice. Somebody taught them what they know, and they might be happy to teach you everything that they know. Sometimes, people don't know how much they really have to be proud of until other people tell them that they admire them. The person you admire might be having a bad day and it would make them feel great if somebody told them that they looked up to them. Everybody learns from somebody. After this person you're envious of teaches you, maybe you will go on to teach someone else.
Use it For Motivation
Instead of feeling bad that you don't have what someone else has or being upset with them that they have it before you, use your envy as motivation to try. If envy shows you what you want, let it empower you to go out there and try for it. After all, what is envy but inspiration? Anytime you feel motivated or inspired, you should act upon it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so let your envy motivate you to go after great things.
Use it To Revive Old Dreams
Life gets busy. If you work hard for something for years and can't achieve it, at a certain point you might give up because you feel like you have no choice. That doesn't mean that when things change years down the road you can't revive those dreams. Remember that some of the most famous people did not achieve success until they were older. Lucille Ball was 40 years old when she and husband Desi Arnaz created I Love Lucy. Colonel Harland Sanders was 65 years old when he started Kentucky Fried Chicken. Grandma Moses became known for her art at the age of 78. Estelle Getty became famous for her role in The Golden Girls at the age of 63. Frank McCourt became a best selling author at the age of 66. It is never too late to pursue old dreams.
Use it to Be Happy For People
One last thing to remember when you are feeling envious is to always feel happy for other people who have achieved things. They have worked hard, and they deserve success, even if they achieved something that you want to before you do.
Some people allow their envy to make them bitter and jealous, but other people know that envy can be a powerful tool for motivation and to propel them to greater achievements. Envy can inspire us or it can make us wish to take other people's hard earned work away from them. Instead of letting your envy drag you down, use it to your advantage. Explore possibilities, and ask for guidance. Use your envy for motivation and let it help you to revive old dreams. Most of al,l be happy for people who have achieved good things for themselves. After all, you achieved great things too, and someday someone will be inspired by you and approach you for advice also.
If you're having a hard time navigating through your envy to get started setting goals, don't worry. Reach out for a reading because we have psychics available 24/7 to help you make plans to make all your dreams come true.
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