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In a typical office setting, we tend to know our officemates better. Even more, we are inclined with their activities even outside the office. We added each other in social media and can’t help but notice that there are indeed some officemates whom we think is living the life. Not to mention, celebrities we follow in varied platforms that seems to have everything.
We always have that person that we look up to. And we cannot deny the fact that sometimes we get jealous of the good things coming their way. Why can they buy those expensive things and why can’t we? Why is it very easy for them to travel and go to the beach while you are swamped with work in the office? Is life really this unfair?
In order to compensate with our grudge, we tend to keep up with those people. If an officemate managed to have a new pair of shoes today that everyone notices, might as well buy a pair for me and show it to everybody the next day. Who says she only has the right to post beach photos. I should go on a vacation myself now.
And there lies the problem.
Know the line keeping up the joneses? This is an idiom that refers to the comparison to one’s neighbour as a benchmark for social class or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to keep up is then perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.
I guess you can pinpoint someone who is always like that. If a neighbour has a new appliance, he or she will also buy the same. If someone traveled in a foreign country, he or she must also travel immediately. And this attitude spells envy. And if we can’t seem to keep up with the neighbours, that envy translates to hate.
How does envy affect us?
For one it affects our finances. If we tend to keep up with what’s new and what others have, we might end up broke and in debt. After all, we all have our limits as an employee. Our monetary bin is not as deep like that of the billionaires we adore. I am most certain that billionaires can keep up with the joneses easily because they have the financial vehicle to do so. However for us working class, we only have limited monetary supply hence we can only do so much.
Second, envy affects relationships. As what was previously stated, envy could lead to hate. We might get jealous first because a co-worker seems to have everything and sooner or later we might not notice how that envy affects our relationship with him or her. And that is not a harmonious way to connect with someone most especially a co-worker.
So how can we change?
The best way to do so is to learn from them. If we see our neighbours strutting with the newest bag there is in the fashion industry, we might want to look at the how rather than the what. Perhaps that neighbour of ours invested more overtime at work. Perhaps he or she saved a lot every pay day so that he or she can afford that. Knowing how they did it will get us inspired to do the same. Remember, money earned is the business of the person earning it. We must applaud them for the work. Who knows, that neighbour might be running another job after his or her shift.
It is all about mindset.
Whenever I encounter someone who is extremely rich, I tend to work out how they were able to do it and the route they take. Even more, I would be interested to know the information that they have that could help me be in the same path as them. That is why, I embrace money mentors and be with people who gives me inspiration. I cannot deny I get envious sometimes with the kind of life that they have. But knowing I am doing the same path as them, who knows I might be like them in the future. For today, I just have to work my butt off.
Be contented.
If you look closely with your life right now, you have everything. Enviousness and grudge stems from us. We are simply questioning our capability to achieve those things hence we feel inferior in the process. Then we feel incompetent. Truly, we can’t change our co-workers and the celebrities we look up to. However we can change ourselves. Look at the things you have right now and be grateful. You are still blessed my friend. You still are.
P.S To those doing the 52 Week Money Challenge, it is Week 14 already! Did you deposit the next amount yet?
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