Today's post comes by way of a reader. How do you overcome envy, especially when it pertains to time that's passed and things you can't change? Oh, envy, that lousy feeling that can make us feel inadequate. I remember in middle school when a couple of girls in my class had Dooney & Burke purses. I would have given anything for a Dooney & Burke purse. I imagined the color I would pick out, the smell of the leather, how it would coordinate with all of my outfits and how I would keep my lip gloss and hair clips inside. Instead I carried a backpack from Wal-Mart. Now that I've cycled through many seasons of envy, I've come to realize the envious feeling wasn't there to make me feel inadequate. It was there to show me what I wanted. By shifting the feeling of envy to that of adoration, we relish in the accomplishments of others and realize we can get there too. Success, however you define it, is unlimited. There's enough for all of us. Because they have it, you know it's attainable! Your ego may try to tell you that you aren't deserving, or that life is too hard for you to get what you want, but don't buy in to those misleading assumptions. Let your desire be your fuel and be your biggest advocate.
Instead of using the feeling of envy as a form of defeat, use it for what it is - a gift of clarity for what you do want.