While I agree with Theodore Roosevelt that “comparison is the thief of joy.” I have also learned that fighting, suppressing or denying it, is futile and counterproductive.
We all compare ourselves. It’s inevitable. It is the way we are wired to make sense of and order our world.
The trick is to learn to use our comparing minds to discern rather than judge; to draw out critical information that can serve us and others.
Envy is a distinct form of comparing that holds destructive power to sully relationships and opportunities, but if we approach it mindfully we can unlock its empowerment potential.
When we realize our comparison holds a tinge of covetousness, we can bring compassionate self-awareness to:
- Free ourselves from the corroding effect of jealousy
- Figure out what it is truly telling us about what we are longing to express, presence and manifest
- Begin to shift our thoughts, feelings and actions to align with the values or aspirations our jealousy reveals
This waxing half moon in Leo holds the archetype of the bright, shiny, playful, dramatic, vibrant, fiery and willful spirit. While the Sun in Taurus exemplifies the practical, hardworking, earnest, determined, slow and steady willpower.
Together they hold two ends of the spectrum and remind us that envy often reveals contrast, which easily leads to judgemental comparison or bewildering jealousy.
When we stand on one side looking over in covetous admiration we can bridge the gap between discernment and judgment by coming into mindful personal reflection.
To support this process, I invite you into one of our Evolving Mindfully journaling exercises.
Take some time this weekend to sit with your journal and a few magazines or scroll through SM. Flip through and note any images, articles or posts that rouse envy.
Stick them in your journal or note the main aspects of the post.
Free write upon what this brings up in you, inquiring:
- What do the images or words you chose reveal about what you value and desire?
- Are their qualities held in the images that you think you do not possess?
- Are these qualities or experiences you can consciously cultivate?
Keep the process going during the week in real life situations.
Note through your day when you run into people or scenarios that bring a twinge of jealousy and work with them in the same way.
The key is to gain insight into as well as take ownership of what it is that you value and desire to experience.