Very often we find ourselves in a situation where the other person’s success means our failure. Their success is a constant reminder on how incapable we are. however, being people that we are, we will act happy for them.
Oh wait! No – we are happy for them, we are just sad for our poor selves who were not able to get that promotion. I will, for now, equate it to jealousy, because it simply means we are envious of the other’s success.
Is it not important to realise that we have worked too hard and we also deserving of the promotion just like the co-worker? We are, sometime, cheated and justice never prevails. We work hard, thinking things will be better this time, but still we find ourselves in the same position.
Maybe we are looking at this whole thing wrongly. How about we do this: We believe in the reality of our dreams. We put sweat and faith together. And as we pray we also participate in making sure that our prayers are a reality.
Maybe that’s what also make us feel stuck – comparison. As we compare our results with the other persons, we are definitely scaling twenty percent of the evidence (which is that we did not get the promotion, or we did not achieve that level of success) This is the only part you really witness.
We are ignoring the eighty percent that happens behind the scenes of the success. We are ignoring the fact that they also worked twice as hard like we did. The thing is we are never sure, we will never be certain of their level of faith, and their sweat and their participation in the reality of their dreams.
Moreover, how about we take lessons? Lessons that whatever is achievable with one man, is achievable with all. How about we acknowledge that there are people who sent to show us that certain barriers can be broken. How about we appreciate and recognise that one’s success is for all. How about we acknowledge that someone sets a bar for us to achieve.
We also say to our daughters:
She is not your rival, she is your sister – a step-ladder.
She is not your enemy, she is your reflection.
Her success does not mean your failure, however it means a glimpse of your ‘beyond’ capabilities – what you cannot see within yourself.