"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts"

The green monster is something everyone must battle at some point in their life. Whether you face it head on or hide from it, it is ever-present. It’s a complex emotion feeding on insecurities, anger, fears and self-pity. It can be most difficult when you are envious of someone who is always present in your everyday life. You may even be at risk of jeopardizing your relationship with said person if you let the emotion consume you. But in many ways, jealousy can be the most enlightening emotion of them all as it allows for self-reflection. Rather than letting yourself be consumed by jealousy, I think it’s important to acknowledge it as a motivator instead. Allowing yourself to be motivated by the people around you leads you to pushing your limits for greater things. You may began to try harder in school, commit yourself to certain hobbies or improve the way you carry yourself. But of course, this shouldn’t serve as the principal motivator. Improving yourself based only on the desire to best other people is simply unhealthy. In order to nip this in the bud, working on one’s self-esteem is the prime way to overcome envy. This is always easier said than done.

Whenever I feel my temper flaring due to my envy of others, I make attempts to take a step back and acknowledge my positive traits. I then take the time to remember that no one can be the best at everything in life, and they should not need to be. Rather, all we should each do, is try every day to be the best possible version of ourself. For our true competition is never with others but with ourselves.