How to like feeling envy. Starting now!

Stop pretending you don't envy.

• Forget what you’ve been told by your parents
• Forget any negative emotions you have tangled up around this word
• Forget the judgmental arch of your friend’s eyebrows when she was slagging off someone for being envious…

Seriously. Forget it all. Stop for a second.

And just think about it.

We gave this word a negative tinge.

We think of it as something to be ashamed of. Something to avoid. And we shouldn’t.

First of all, you’re human. You’re flawed. You’re not saintly fairy flying through life without ever witnessing your “shadow self”. Without ever catching a glimpse of the “dark traits” that live within you.

There's an incredible amount of potential and “good” in you too, so you’re not a monster if you ever catch yourself feeling envy.

Or any other negative emotions for that matter! It just means you’re a human - well done.

But we're brought up with the strong preference for the word “admire”. It’s such a heroic, chivalrous word. It’s soo positive and inspiring, and OMG I’m starting to feel nauseous…

Ever positive self-help is partly to blame. “Follow people who you admire”, “Think of people you admire and do what they do”.

That’s such shit advice! Yeah, it’s SHIT!

And if you ever catch yourself giving this advice consider the following.

I admire Albert Einstein, I admire Viktor Frankl, I admire Sandra Bullock.

But I don’t want to BE them.

If I feel envy - it’s because that person has something or achieved something that I WANT, that I ASPIRE to.

And nowhere is out quiet, festering envy as rife as in business, perceived success or perceived wealth.

Envy is a big flashing red light pointing to the areas of your life that you feel you haven’t fulfilled your potential in, yet.

Envy is a great tool when you use it to look at your own life. Leave looking at the life of others to them.

Have you ever felt guilty for being envious?

And most importantly, would you still see it as a negative?