Of course, envy is natural. If you told me that you've never ever been jealous of another person then I really would not believe you. There is a green-eyed monster stalking each and every one of us and when it decides to come out to play, it becomes far more detrimental than I think we realise.
Especially in a community such as blogging, where we can see in live-time people being given these incredible opportunities that none of us would turn down, it becomes even more difficult to keep the envy creature at bay and even I can admit that I've sat in front of my computer with my stomach getting tighter and tighter, thinking "Why isn't that ME!?" It's hard not to get disheartened.
But something I've discovered is that envy can be productive, even positive if you use it in the right way. Instead of thinking "I want what she has", I now think "I'm going to work harder to get there". Obviously, this is easier said than done. As I said, I'm a girl who tends to put herself down, so alongside the envy is the constant voice in my head screaming "Do you know why you don't have that? Because you're worthless. You don't deserve that. You're never going to be as good as them".
But, earlier yesterday, when I watched five fantastic bloggers pop up on TV in a new hair commercial, I didn't feel it. All I felt was this wave of support and pride that five girls who are just like me could achieve something so wonderful! Soon, I felt that support turn into motivation. I thought "If they can do it, why can't I someday?"
It motivated me to work harder, to push myself further and to make my content even better. Something I've wanted to improve for ages is my Instagram and I sort of pushed it to the back, but now I've been improving my images and do you know what? Slowly, but surely, the followers are going up.
It is possible for you to turn horrible thoughts into something good, to use the envy to create a whole new set of emotions that can be used for not only personal positivity, but social positivity. See someone achieve something? Tell them you're proud! See them receive a product you would have liked? Tell yourself that you'll work to get noticed by that brand too.
It's all down to you.
"Put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success."
- Swami Sivananda
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