the upside of jealousy

Jealousy gets a bad rap.

We start feeling jealous of someone for something and then recognize the jealousy and freak out and start chastising ourselves for not loving what we have. You with me?

What if we thought of jealousy as a guide to what we do actually want? Oooooh yeah. Sounds much better that way. Here’s the deal:

• Jealous feelings can be guideposts instructing us on exactly what we can do to improve our lives. (Major wisdom download from my friend Jadyn.)
• The light you see in the other person is the same exact light that is within you. You are feeling jealous because you see another person lit up. Focus on using these feelings to understand what might light you up. At the end of the day, it’s all the same light.
• Celebrate the things you see in other people! Sometimes we feel jealousy like a threat to our identity. Don’t be threatened. Celebrate that person for having what you want because there’s MORE than enough to go around. (My friend Leslie taught me this.)

And then share this with someone you’ve felt jealousy for! Or not. But definitely share this.