Rising Above Jealousy.

Every single one of us human beings has been jealous of someone else at some point in our lives. If you haven't, you will be. This, to me, is a very natural human emotion that can actually make all parties involved better versions of themselves, if channeled constructively first, by accepting it for what it is.

There are three different definitions when it comes to jealousy:

1. Feeling of showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages.

2. Feeling or showing suspicion of someone’s unfaithfulness in a relationship.

3. Fiercely protective or vigilant of one’s rights or possessions.

In this article I am referring to the first definition.

In my experience though, I have received some funny treatment from people who were jealous of me because they thought that somehow my life was better than theirs. It still does not make any sense to me considering how well off they are in most areas of their lives (at least from the angle I look at them from).

That's what jealousy does. it erodes your common sense and robs you of appreciating what you have going for you for the things that most likely were not meant to be for you. Jealousy, takes all your 'what ifs' and replaces 'what is' with them. So, in the end, if you allow jealousy take control of you, your time and actual gifts and relationships will be lost along the way.

Are you jealous of someone right now? Do you wish you had their life? Do you wish you married who they married? Do you wish you were single like them? Do you wish you had their hair or style or house or car?

How do you feel about them? Do you dislike or even start to hate them? Do you talk about them every chance you get? Do you often wish that bad things will happen to them so you feel better about yourself?

How do you feel about you? What has changed in your life since you started feeling this way? Have you defined all your relationships around your obsession with this person? Do you find that you now unconsciously dress or talk like them? If you don't, have your tastes changed? Have you lost touch with the people around you that actually do care about your well being?

Imagine you walked around with a box on your head with holes to see and breath and you somehow thoroughly enjoy walking around with this box no matter what people said. It makes you happy and you feel safe and you could never imagine a day in your life without it. Suddenly, someone comes along and gives you a thorough beating and snatches it off your head. You spend days crying about it until you out of the blue wake up and realize that life without the box strangely feels a lot better. For one, you can breathe better and feel the air run through your hair and touch your scalp in ways you have never quite felt before. You come to the conclusion that life without the box is richer and so much more fuller.

However, the person that took your box thinks they have taken a part of you that is valuable and feel quite accomplished in themselves not knowing that they have traded your past self imprisonment for their freedom which is now yours, which can be anybody's if we refuse to bury our heads in boxes of any kind.

The point I am trying to make is, as negative as jealousy can be, being a victim of it's animosity can either break you or make you better. It could be the extra push you need to try something new and ascend to greater heights.

So, don't be a victim of the vicious words and gossip that often stem from jealousy. Look at it for what it really is-a cowardly emotion without a spine or roots. And begin to look a lot farther in the horizon at how much bigger what others envy about you really can be.