Envious

Envious. 

The textbook definition of envy is, "a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck." Generally envy is frowned upon, but should it be? 

By not admitting feeling envious we might be missing out on a more fulfilled life. It was Gretchen Rubin who brought this idea to life for me. She states, "...negative emotions play a very important role in a happy life, because they warn us that something needs to change." Rather than feeling bad about envy, maybe we should pay closer attention to those feelings as a catalyst toward action. 

If all we do is stew in our unhappiness then clinging to envy will not serve us well. I remember one July morning several summers ago opening up Face Book and seeing a picture of a friend of mine, who like me, had to work to keep her weight in check. She looked like a million bucks, and somehow I had allowed my weight to increase by thirty pounds. 

I must admit feeling envious, but I was literally at Weight Watchers that day, and five months later was back to a healthy weight. I could have jumped on the pity wagon wallowing in my envy or use her success as my springboard for change. Start paying more attention when your envy radar perks up. What is missing from your own life, and what can you do to make it different?

What I find myself envying, and what you envy may be completely different, but rather than feeling bad about it explore what your envious feelings might be telling you. Some things you might just brush off as not really important, but on the other hand it might just be a wake-up call.