Jealousy, also called the “green-eyed monster,” corrupts the soul and creates turmoil in daily life. For a good reason, they call envy a monster because it eats away at people until it eventually drives them mad. Nothing positive ever comes from jealousy, yet many people have difficulties overcoming this emotion.
The most trivial things can cause envy to rear its ugly head, such as a friend receiving more likes or comments on Facebook. Or, you might feel jealous when a coworker gets more compliments on her outfit than you do. Envy can also happen in relationships if you think your partner is more attractive and fear someone else will catch their eye.
Jealousy often stems from insecurity since humans naturally compare themselves to see how they stack up against the competition. Most people subconsciously want to outdo others in some manner and care deeply about how people perceive them. Therefore, it’s important to “keep up with the Joneses” so they don’t get left behind.
However, jealousy will only leave you feeling bitter and disillusioned when you realize the futility of it all. Owning the world means nothing if you lose your soul in the process, anyway. If you’ve been feeling jealous of someone lately, this advice will encourage you to release destructive emotions.
5 Reasons Why Smart People Avoid Jealousy
1. Jealousy creates discord in relationships.
Whether it’s a platonic or romantic relationship, jealousy drives a wedge between people. It can break up even the strongest relationships because it’s insidious and damaging to the soul. Envy creates unnecessary competition between people who never feel satisfied because they constantly need to prove themselves.
If their friend gets a raise, they must earn a promotion or look for a higher-paying job. When they notice a friend buying a new house, they suddenly feel like shopping for real estate to “win” the unspoken competition.
In a romantic relationship, an insecure partner might go out of their way to make their partner jealous by flirting with other people. But in the end, no one wins these silly games except the inflated ego, endlessly looking for new ways to feed its insatiable appetite for power.
So, insightful people avoid all this mental suffering by simply not giving in to jealousy. They try to create healthy relationships with others based on cooperation instead of competition.
2. It only makes you feel worse.
As with all negative emotions, jealousy only darkens the mind and blackens the soul. It might feel cathartic to give in to envy instead of ignoring it, but the high won’t last forever. Eventually, allowing emotions to cloud your judgment will backfire, creating more stress in your life.
You might make rash decisions, like buying expensive things to outshine a friend or colleague. Not to mention, your mental and emotional state will become imbalanced, making it difficult to think about anything else.
Insightful people don’t waste time on jealousy because they know it’s the thief of joy.
3. They look within for fulfillment.
Intelligent people also don’t entertain the idea of jealousy because they realize happiness comes from within. No material item, relationship, or anything outside themselves could make them feel complete. Therefore, they see no point in keeping up with others’ greed and vanity.
People often envy others because they have low self-esteem and need validation to enhance their worth. But insightful people know that sweet words of affirmation can never compare with the bliss felt within the soul.
Jealousy causes people to have a flawed idea of themselves and believe they’ll never be good enough. However, the wisest souls understand the temporary nature of the world and don’t get caught in the comparison trap.
4. Jealousy makes people ungrateful for what they have.
When you live in a scarcity mindset, you never feel satisfied, even if you own the world. Therefore, it only makes sense to question the source of jealousy and understand its flawed nature. If envy never goes away no matter how many material items you have, why even acknowledge the feeling? The only antidote to jealousy involves practicing gratitude for friends, family, your job, and personal possessions.
Studies show that expressing gratitude can improve mental health and rewire the brain! Instead of feeling envious, you’ll focus on creating positive emotions like happiness and love. Remember, what we give our attention to expands, so it makes sense to avoid negative experiences or feelings. That doesn’t mean you should suppress emotions but transmute them into something productive.
5. It destroys your personality over time.
People might know you as a cheerful, encouraging person who always tries to make others smile. However, envy can easily change your optimistic persona into someone your friends don’t recognize. Much like the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you may act like a different person when jealousy strikes.
Most envious people end up alone because they cannot control their emotions and end up hurting others. Therefore, intelligent people avoid jealousy because they value their mental health and personal relationships. Negative feelings like envy create density and heaviness in the soul, whereas positive emotions make you feel light and liberated.
Intelligent people note the difference in their energy when they experience various emotions and try to avoid those that bring them down.
Final Thoughts on Why Intelligent People Reject Jealousy
Most people feel jealous of someone during their lives and don’t think anything of it. However, this emotion can add significant tension and stress to life if you allow it to fester. A passing moment of envy won’t cause much harm, but repeated instances of jealousy can have dangerous consequences. It can destroy friendships, corrupt the mind and soul, and lead to feelings of inadequacy after a while.
Envy also makes you forget about all the blessings in your life and encourages a scarcity mindset. Smart people reject jealousy and embrace gratitude to avoid these painful outcomes. They know that abundance lies in the soul, not the material world, so they look within to find ultimate fulfillment.
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