The first time I experienced envy, I was in second grade and learned my friend Elyse was insanely talented at drawing. From scratch, at the age of seven, she drew a Scooby-Doo that looked just like the one on TV. I loved art, and I hated that she was better at it.
It’s happened to me a lot since then—when someone else has accomplished something I haven’t, like nailing a super high-paying gig, or earning an unexpected promotion. Even if I didn’t want any of those things, I still feel quite covetous.
Envy can be a dangerous feeling. It causes you to obsess about what you don’t have and, thus, gets you nowhere. (Except feeling badly for yourself and resenting those you’re jealous of.)
But, did you know that you can use this emotion to your advantage? Yep—I’m telling the truth. All it takes is one simple mind trick, which you’ll learn in episode 12 of the podcast “An Uncluttered Life.” So go on—make the color green look good on you again.