My perspective on envy changed when I read Naval Ravikant’s perspective on the topic. His thoughts pasted below.
“Jealousy was a very hard emotion for me to overcome. When I was young, I had a lot of jealousy. By and by, I learned to get rid of it. It still crops up every now and then. It’s such a poisonous emotion because, at the end of the day, you’re no better off with jealousy. You’re unhappier, and the person you’re jealous of is still successful or good-looking or whatever they are.
One day, I realized with all these people I was jealous of, I couldn’t just choose little aspects of their life. I couldn’t say I want his body, I want her money, I want his personality. You have to be that person. Do you want to actually be that person with all of their reactions, their desires, their family, their happiness level, their outlook on life, their self-image? If you’re not willing to do a wholesale, 24/7, 100 percent swap with who that person is, then there is no point in being jealous.”
It’s not always that easy. But when I look at all that I have, and in particular the people that mean the most to me, I wouldn’t trade it. And envy’s appearance is more fleeting.
I’m appreciative of Naval’s insights. With a simple principle he’s helped shape how I view a complex, challenging emotion.