Pretty sure what you're describing is jealousy and not envy. I was envious of my friends success and higher pay but I never wanted to deny them or dream of the

Pretty sure what you're describing is jealousy and not envy. I was envious of my friends success and higher pay but I never wanted to deny them or dream of their failure. It did motivate me and was one of the reason why I quit my public sector job for private sector. I think everybody have different path and that learning to accept it is maturity. The mindset of being better than them is terrible for me. I focus on what they have that I lack and what can I improve upon. I also accept that I wasn't as good as selling myself as some of my friends are especially coming from an ESL background. But I've come to term with that and focus on building my skill set that I lack and deem important to me. The people that do better than me are something I use as a road map but I make sure not to waste time day dreaming about being in their position or to over think it. It's a waste of time because there are tons of other things I can be doing right now (improving in many area of my life instead of day dreaming).