Jealous Much? … Make It Work for You!

Jealousy is a natural human emotion. All of us experience it. Studies found that human babies begin showing signs of jealousy as early as five months of age. And, some of us continue to feel it well into old age.

So, why try to fight it? Why not make it work for you!

Jealousy is as powerful as any human emotion—and much more lingering than most. Strong, persistent emotions, such as those that originate from jealousy, are unparalleled motivators—completely in a league of their own.

Not too many people will admit that jealousy played any serious part in their eventual greatness. However, clearly, some famous public “rivalries” (the nicer way of saying “jealousies”) pushed the dueling competitors to ever increasing heights of record-breaking achievements during their lifetimes:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart v. Antonio Salieri
Pablo Picasso v. Henri Matisse
Truman Capote v. Gore Vidal
Bette Davis v. Joan Crawford
George Lucas v. Steven Spielberg
Schwarzenegger v. Stallone
Steve Jobs v. Bill Gates

Famous athletes, whether professional or amateur (as in the Olympics), and their coaches study their competitors closely—practically to the point of obsession—because their precise goal is to outperform them by as large a margin as possible!

Ty Cobb v. Babe Ruth
Mohammad Ali v. Joe Frazier
Larry Bird v. Magic Johnson
Chris Evert v. Martina Navratilova
Billy Mitchell v. Steve Wiebe (Donkey Kong champs)

So, how to galvanize the garden-variety, vague, and unfocused type of jealousy into a more purposeful, but still intensely-burning, competitive spirit? Here’s how.

TURN JEALOUSY INTO PRODUCTIVITY IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS

Answer the following three questions as fully and honestly as possible. Take as much time as you need. If you have a diary, this is great information to record in it. Also, see “10 Reasons to Keep a Diary” and “20 Questions for Your Diary.”

1. What or whom are you most jealous of? This is a good way to find out what it is you really want most for yourself. Hopefully, it’s not your best friend’s spouse or life partner. But, even if it is, you may be envying your best friend merely because you wish you had a spouse or partner who is as loving, funny, good-looking, and so on. You certainly can turn that type of jealousy into a positive search for someone like that for you in the future.

2. Why? When you identify what or whom you are most jealous of, it’s time to find out why. If you are jealous of someone’s possessions, it’s easy to see that you wish you had similar possessions. Similarly, if you are jealous of someone’s popularity or friendliness, you probably wish you could be as popular or friendly as they are. Write down as many details as you can about why you feel jealous of whatever it is you feel jealous about. Imagine how much you would need to have before you would finally really stop feeling jealous of anyone. Just be honest.

3. How can you also get what they have that you want? Now the pedal finally meets the metal. First, map your course on how to get there from here, and, then, follow that course for all you’re worth. Oh, yeah, and remember to enjoy the ride! There are many other articles here to help you get started: Defensive Driving for the Fast Lane to Success; How to Set and Achieve Goals in 5 Simple Steps; What Would You Do If You Couldn’t Fail?; Think and Grow Rich; Change Your Mindset to Change Your Life; Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself; The Meaning of Life; 10 Reasons to Keep a Diary; and, Life Is a Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament.

CONCLUSION

If, for some reason, you can’t turn your jealousy into a positive motivating force because you truly do want something or someone unique that belongs to someone else, then I have one last piece of advice, borrowed from a well-known Grateful Dead song: “If you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with.”

Be sure to get the latest articles as soon as they’re posted by signing up here!

[For “High-Maintenance Relationships,” click here.]

[For “Requests for Cuckoo in Your Nest!,” click here.]

[For “My 10 Commandments,” click here.]

[For “10 Harmful Thoughts,” click here.]

[For “50 Negative v. Positive Thoughts,” click here.]

[For “Is Guilt Ever a Good Thing?,” click here.]

[For “What Would You Do If You Couldn’t Fail?,” click here.]

[For “Change Your Mindset to Change Your Life,” click here.]

[For “Fan Your Inner Flame Till It Burns Bright,” click here.]

[For “How to Set and Achieve Goals in 5 Simple Steps,” click here.]

[For “10 Reasons to Keep a Diary,” click here.]

[For “20 Questions for Your Diary,” click here.]

[For “25 Statements to Happiness,” click here.]

[For “30 Statements for Great Relationships,” click here.]

[For “200 Happiness Quotes,” click here.]

[For “200 Existence Quotes,” click here.]

[For all posts about different QUOTES, click here.]

[For “The Meaning of Life,” click here.]

[For more “Easy Steps to Success with People,” click here.]