Is someone else getting more attention than you and it's driving you crazy?
Sometimes it can be challenging to watch others finding success in your field while you struggle. Perhaps they started their career after you and are already enjoying compliments, getting great work, and appearing in the limelight. It's interesting when, instead of feeling inspired, we feel envy or jealousy. What a great opportunity for growth! Particularly artists, who are often a 4 in the enneagram, are susceptible to jealousy. I work coaching a lot of artists whose main block is comparing themselves to others. And let me tell you: jealousy has not made any of my clients more talented, more brilliant, funnier, or smarter. BUT…
Envy tells us several things:
- It points to something we want. Good to know what you want!
- It points to somewhere we can grow. Good to know where you want to grow!
- It points to someone we can appreciate and admire. Good to know exactly what you appreciate about them!
- It points to somewhere we can have compassion for ourselves for not being "perfect" already. Great!
- It points to somewhere we have an attachment to things being other than exactly how they are and helps bring you back into the reality of your situation. Ahhh.
So… top five ways to deal with professional envy are:
- Write down what you want, based on what you're envious about. Allow yourself to feel it.
- Write down where you'd like to grow. Take an immediate action based on this. Do something in the next five minutes that gets you closer to your goal.
- Write down the qualities in them you admire, and then meditate for five minutes, feeling into how you already possess those qualities.
- Meditate for another five minutes on compassion for yourself.
- Accept how you are right now.