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"Jealousy is when you worry someone will take what you have. Envy is wanting what someone else has." -- Homer Simpson (seriously) i'm an entrepreneur too, wi

"Jealousy is when you worry someone will take what you have. Envy is wanting what someone else has." -- Homer Simpson (seriously) i'm an entrepreneur too, with some modest success. my company makes single-digit millions/year in revenue, i take home a low six figure annual salary - i don't mention specific numbers because it changes all the time. it sounds like you need to figure out what you're actually envious of, and decide if you want to achieve it or not. otherwise you're just being pummeled helpless by your own subconscious desires, which is a type of personal hell. personally, i don't give a shit about recognition or fame or doing a great thing for society (right now), i just want lots of money. i'm not ashamed to admit it - i tell people this in real life too. i want to make a lot of money, so i can buy a lot of cool shit and not struggle with bills (not that i ever have, but you know what i mean). i came to this conclusion after a considerable amount of thought and self-reflection, and it took a while for me to be able to admit it to myself (and others). some people aren't in it for the money - they're in it for the fame, or recognition, or they want to prove their dad wrong, or some other completely personal reason, and the money is just a side effect since it's so pervasive in our society. once you identify what you actually want, and admit it to yourself, you can set about on your mission of achieving it without being caught up in your own petty mental nonsense. that's just an indicator you aren't being honest with yourself (and possibly others).

deleted 12y ago
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loglinear 12y ago
Thanks for the honest feedback! How does being honest with yourself prevent you from being envious or jealous though? In your case let's assume you were NOT making a six figure salary and you were making say $60K /yr and you had admitted to yourself (and others) that you wanted to make lots of money and then a friend of a friend who you aren't close to but familiar with (who you know also wants to make lots of money) starts something and starts making $1M/yr when just last week they were making $60K alongside you. How do you prevent yourself from being envious/ deal with being envious? It seems at best orthogonal to the issue of honesty and at worst seems like complete open honesty will make it even worse because people now expect you to be jealous (unlikely).
- throwawayaway 12y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmx1jpqv3RA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmx1jpqv3RA Envy is a form of flattery, when I am envious of someone I tell them so! It seems to get it off my chest. Everyone I've ever said it to takes it as a compliment.
- beachstartup 12y ago
  first, i would recommend travelling to a poor or developing country and taking a hard look around for a good solid week or more. second, be aware of your feelings and emotions, don't try to suppress them. analyze them and use them as motivation. third, learn what you can from successful people, either directly or by observation. finally, when you get older, you will realize all that other stuff you find so distracting now has literally absolutely no bearing on whether or not YOU will succeed at your goals, so there's only one thing you can do, and that's work on your own shit. once you come to this realization, a lot of the stupid crap floating around in your head will just sort of disappear.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

loglinear 12y ago

Thanks for the honest feedback! How does being honest with yourself prevent you from being envious or jealous though? In your case let's assume you were NOT making a six figure salary and you were making say $60K /yr and you had admitted to yourself (and others) that you wanted to make lots of money and then a friend of a friend who you aren't close to but familiar with (who you know also wants to make lots of money) starts something and starts making $1M/yr when just last week they were making $60K alongside you. How do you prevent yourself from being envious/ deal with being envious? It seems at best orthogonal to the issue of honesty and at worst seems like complete open honesty will make it even worse because people now expect you to be jealous (unlikely).

throwawayaway 12y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmx1jpqv3RA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmx1jpqv3RA Envy is a form of flattery, when I am envious of someone I tell them so! It seems to get it off my chest. Everyone I've ever said it to takes it as a compliment.
beachstartup 12y ago
first, i would recommend travelling to a poor or developing country and taking a hard look around for a good solid week or more. second, be aware of your feelings and emotions, don't try to suppress them. analyze them and use them as motivation. third, learn what you can from successful people, either directly or by observation. finally, when you get older, you will realize all that other stuff you find so distracting now has literally absolutely no bearing on whether or not YOU will succeed at your goals, so there's only one thing you can do, and that's work on your own shit. once you come to this realization, a lot of the stupid crap floating around in your head will just sort of disappear.