This might be my inner Canadian speaking but in my experience, it is much easier to feel joy when a friend of mine succeeds than envy him. I feel much happier

This might be my inner Canadian speaking but in my experience, it is much easier to feel joy when a friend of mine succeeds than envy him. I feel much happier when people in my social circle are well off and living a great life. I have also found that helping those around me succeed, whether financially, or personally, usually improves my own quality of life in someway (not always of course). I also fully agree that one should only compare self to oneself. After all we are all unique IMHO happiness is truly achieved when shared :)