Happy or jealous?

We all want to be the kind of people who are happy for others when they experience success or a cause for celebration in their lives, but it isn’t always easy.

Sometimes other feelings come up that would try to make us feel the opposite. Instead of reaching out and celebrating with our loved one, we may feel the rising up of our own pain.

This pain may arise because we feel jealous of our friend for having something we don’t have (even though we may not want to believe that it is a little bit of jealousy). It may arise because our friend’s success will lead to us losing them in some way. And it may arise for reasons we don’t yet understand.

The important thing is not to brush it under the rug, but to take it seriously and look at it; suppressing it may make it worse.

Extending ourselves to celebrate the happiness of others requires a generosity of spirit that will pay off in your time of success.