How to Turn Envy to Positivity

I know you’ve felt it before.

You’re scrolling LinkedIn or Instagram and you see an image, a story, a post about someone achieving something. Their success on display for everyone to see and it hits you, even for a second:

“That should be me.”

Now if you’re trying to dodge admission here, keep in mind that nearly 80% of us have experienced professional jealousy at some level in the last year. 

While jealousy is a natural sentiment in these types of situations, what if you could turn that (jealous) frown upside-down and make it a positive thing for you and everyone else?

Here are a few benefits of transforming negative envy into positive support, personal brand building, and improvement within your own life.

Create your own happiness

Emotional intelligence teaches us that negative emotions are ok, it’s just what you do with them that matters most. When we feel jealousy, we activate our self-awareness and then we decide how to let the emotion manifest into beliefs or action. 

When we see someone achieving success or attaining something that we want to accomplish, the emotion of jealousy comes running at us. When you feel that, literally say to yourself “No, I’m not going to be upset by this,” and instead, celebrate the person. It becomes the emotional contagion that you surround yourself and, as we all know, if you decide to be positive, you will feel more positive. Comment and congratulate them and even invoke my favorite statement, “Good for them!” You will take control over your emotional environment.

Enhance your opportunities for success 

When we convert jealousy into positivity, we also bring in a new lens on what we’re actually looking at. What I mean by that is we started off looking at this post or hearing this news that caused jealousy and now we’re looking at it as a good thing (as much as we can). In celebrating the successful person, we can even start to feel inspired by their recognition and success. Remember, you’re seeing the arrival of their efforts and not the path that they’ve taken. Imagine their late nights, their sacrifices, their personal development, and other things they may have done to get where they’re at. Be inspired by their journey.

That inspiration and positive frame of mind also opens up opportunities to expand your network and let YOUR goals be known. In that moment of realization, take account of what your goal is that you want to accomplish (not just the sensation of winning, but the visualization of your subjective success), and where you currently sit on your own journey. By reverse engineering your goal, you will clearly see where you need to step up your own game, gaps in knowledge, connection points that need to be made, and other steps along the way to your personal finish line. That clarity will manifest success.

Remove impostor syndrome

We all know by now that the massive downfall of social media is the influx of comparison. We are constantly shown images, videos, and stories of good things, success, and positive news from everyone else. When we scroll far enough, we are likely to start comparing our current situation to the barrage of happiness we’re witnessing in others.

When you view their success as a positive impact, you stop comparing yourself. By turning in and focusing on what you need and what makes you happy, you stop worrying about what everyone else is doing. Plus, you are an original story being written in real time. Stop trying to be a duplicate version of anyone else.

This also allows you to step back and learn more about yourself and what you need vs. the endless stimulus of what everyone else is doing.

You make your personal brand stronger

I will never forget the reaction seen all around the world. Faith Hill took a hit when she, on camera, was seen pre-emptively celebrating what she thought was her Female Vocalist of the Year Award win. Her reaction when Carrie Underwood was announced was, eh, less than graceful.

While we likely won’t be broadcast to millions as we’re looking at LinkedIn, people notice names and reactions. 

Imagine that a colleague got a promotion or won an award and announced it to their LinkedIn world and you, with grace, put a thoughtful and sincere comment of praise and celebration below it. That proactive move does wonders for your brand as a positive person and might even pique the curiosity of someone new who might end up engaging you. We are naturally inclined to be drawn to positive energy and your show of grace might be the one that draws a new contact, client, or door opener to you.

So, applaud, cheer, and be happy for all of those around you. You will benefit greatly by doing so.

For more information on ways to enhance your life, your team, your company, and your mental health, visit richbracken.com for keynote presentations, videos, blogs, podcasts, and more!