Who are you jealous of?
Who sprung to mind when you read the title of this post? I expect someone did.
Perhaps one of your peers recently got promoted ahead of you.
Maybe one of your friends just got engaged.
Or your sister got a pay rise that means she now earns more than you.
Your colleague left and is raving about his new firm.
Thinking about jealousy might make you feel uncomfortable. It's one of those emotions that we're told is bad and to be avoided as we grow up. It's not nice to be jealous.
I agree that being happy for other people elevates our own mindset and helps us towards our own achievements. I love seeing people succeed.
I also think that jealousy can be used in a positive way.
If someone else has [insert thing you want] that simply means it is possible for us to have it to.
Yep, you can have it. I often find people struggle to identify exactly what they want for their careers and lives - use jealousy to help you identify what it is.
1) The first step is to notice it and identify WHY you're feeling jealous. What do they have that you want? The perfect body? Amazing job?
The feeling of jealousy often starts as an 'it's not fair' stream of thought. So you do need to work at it to find out what EXACTLY it is that has caused your jealousy. Try picking through the situation until you identify it.
2) The second step is to hold up the mirror and look at yourself. Why don't you have whatever it is you're jealous of? Think about the decisions you have made that brought you to where you are today.
Are you wasting time watching TV when you could be hustling? Working late because you wasted time this morning being unproductive?
3) Take action! If you identify something you want, that's often the hardest battle. Getting it is simply about planning and taking action.
As well as knowing the end goal e.g. wanting a new job or losing weight, you just need to know the next right stepto take. So if you want a new job, the next step could be listing out roles you are interested in, updating your CV, speaking to a recruiter, hiring a coach.
You only need to be taking one step at a time. No need to get overwhelmed about the journey ahead, take a step, and then another.
So jealousy isn't all bad. It is telling you there is something you want. If you can work out what it is, there's nothing stopping you from achieving it too. Someone else doing it is evidence it can be done.
So who are you jealous of? And what is the next right step for you to go get what you want? I'd love to hear what you'll be working on.
Wishing you all the best
Kat
Kat Hutchings
Career Coach, Kat the Coach Ltd
kat@katthecoach.co.uk
P.S. It can be hard to know what we want. Be curious about people around you. Is anything sparking your jealousy? Work out what it is and recognise that you can have what you want too. Still stuck? E-mail me, I can help you work out what you want.
Kat is a Career Performance Coach working with individuals like you to enhance personal & professional success and find perfect-fit next career moves
