I used to be all about myself. I wanted to be the best. I put in a lot of effort to be the wealthiest, the smartest, and even the best at shooting pool.

So, when a friend of mine had a job interview where he could potentially make more money than me, I was jealous. Why would he get this job? Why can others be a success when I’m still not where I want to be?

My desire to be the best has helped me to grow stronger, after all competition is a good thing. But being too jealous and not wanting others to be more of a success than you can backfire. It can stress you out giving you health problems which can limit your time on earth.

Even worse, jealousy doesn’t accomplish the goal it sets out to accomplish. By being jealous of others success you are giving yourself a scarcity mentality which can wreak havoc on your quality of your life as well as limit the amount of success you can handle for yourself. Here are a few reasons I believe you should be happy for others success.

1. It Gives You An Abundant Mentality

If you are making $40,000 a year and your friend gets a job making $50,000 a year, you can either congratulate him or envy him. If you envy him you are locking your own potential up. You are telling yourself that $40,000 a year is all you are good enough for and that it is unfair that your friend makes more money because you can’t.

If you congratulate them you realize that there is more potential out there and that if you work harder and smarter you can get it yourself. This kind of thinking works in all areas of life.

When I play pool with others I notice that most people want me to miss my shot. If I do, they get to shoot and hopefully win. I on the other hand want my opponent to make every shot they can. I want them to run the table, If they do that means that they are better than me and there is still more I can learn from. This mentality has helped me to grow and become better at the game.

2. Friends Going To High Places Is Good For You

When your friend gets promoted or becomes a success in life it works in your favor. Not only does it encourage you to strive to achieve more, but it also gets you a very powerful connection.

One of the factors of success in life is simply who you know. You can be the hardest worker and have the most spirit, but if you don’t know anyone who can help you accomplish your goals, it is going to be that much harder to make it work.

Networking is a key to success, and when someone you know gets promoted to a big position, you are building that network. Encourage and be happy when your friends become more of a success than you, because it might become a good thing for you as well.

3. It Pushes You To Seek Out Better

If you have to be the best in your group you will seek out people who are worse than you to make yourself feel better. This can easily lead to you becoming “king of the dumps,” where you may be the best at something in your specific group, but that doesn’t really mean much.

If you want to grow, become better, and become more successful, than you have to seek out people who are already where you want to be. This means you have to give up on jealousy and admit that some people are just going to be better than you. Only once you do that can you learn from them.

4. Jealousy Goes Both Ways

If you are jealous of others they will be jealous of you. When you succeed in life they will look at you with resentment and it could be damaging to your friendship as well as your future success. Because jealousy breeds more jealousy, resentment, and hard feelings between people, you may find it harder to get ahead in life as other people hold you back.

By welcoming other’s success they respect you. They acknowledge you as a strong person who cares for other people. This can give them a reason to recommend you in the future, or give you a helping hand to be where you want to be.

Instead of being jealous of other people take some time to learn from them. Figure out what they have to give and what they can teach you. Positivity brings with it more positivity, so avoid being jealous of others and focus on what you truly want to happen in life.

5. True Friends Are In High Demand

By being genuinely happy for other people’s success despite your own shortfalls you become a true friend, and true friends are in high demand. People need good friends in their lives because they need people they can trust. They need people who are there for them to share the good times and the bad times with.

When you stop being jealous of others and start helping others succeed instead, you become a true friend and you will end up with a much better social life in the end. Remember that success isn’t all about what position you happen to be, it is also about the people around you and the

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