Dealing with Financial Envy: How to Overcome It

Ever Find Yourself Enviously Eyeing Someone Else’s Financial Success?

Have you ever caught yourself feeling green with envy when a friend shares their latest investment success, when an acquaintance flaunts a new luxury car, or perhaps when a colleague receives a much-deserved promotion with a hefty salary boost? It’s a pang in your chest, a little voice that whispers, “Why not me?” And thus begins the often-unspoken struggle with financial envy. It’s a common emotional hurdle, and you’re certainly not alone in facing it.

Understanding Financial Envy

Before we tackle how to overcome financial envy, it’s crucial to understand what it is. Simply put, financial envy is the discomfort or distress you feel when others appear to be more successful or better off financially than you are. But it’s more than just wishing to have what someone else has; it’s allowing that desire to negatively impact your emotional wellbeing or decision-making.

Is Financial Envy Always Bad?

Some might argue that a little envy isn’t harmful. It could drive you to push your limits and strive for more. However, when the feeling transcends into a preoccupation, it may lead to negative behaviors like overspending, taking uncalculated financial risks, or developing feelings of resentment and inadequacy.

Recognizing the Triggers

The first step in dealing with financial envy is recognizing what sets it off. Does it occur when scrolling through social media, where everyone seems to be sharing the highlight reels of their lives? Or is it activated in real-life interactions where the topic of finances or success comes up? By pinpointing your triggers, you can start to construct a personalized approach to manage these feelings.

Strategies to Overcome Financial Envy

Here are several methods you can apply to cope with and eventually overcome financial envy:

Reflect on Your Own Achievements

• Sit down and make a list of your own financial milestones, no matter how small they may seem.
• Celebrate your progress and remind yourself of the hard work you’ve invested to get where you are.
• Understand that everyone’s financial journey is unique and that comparing your chapter one to someone else’s chapter twenty is unfair to yourself.

Set Realistic and Personal Financial Goals

• Define what financial success means to you, independent of external influences.
• Create achievable, measurable goals that are tailored to your life and values.
• Regularly review and adjust these goals to ensure they continue to align with your evolving aspirations.

Practice Gratitude

• Keep a gratitude journal to shift focus from what you lack to what you already possess.
• Acknowledge the non-material aspects of your life that contribute to your overall happiness and security.
• Remembering the abundance present in different areas of your life can significantly diminish feelings of envy.

Limit Exposure to Triggers

• If social media is a source of envy, take regular breaks or curate your feeds to reduce exposure to triggering content.
• In real-life situations where financial success dominates the conversation, steer the discussion in a direction that’s less likely to incite envy.

Educate Yourself Financially

• Invest time in learning about personal finance management, investment strategies, and wealth-building principles.
• Knowledge can empower you to make better financial decisions and pave your own path to success.

Addressing the Emotional Component

Financial envy isn’t just about money; it’s deeply rooted in emotions and self-perception. To effectively address it, you must also tend to your emotional health.

Seek Support

Talking about feelings of envy can be difficult, but confiding in a trusted friend, family member, or a professional can provide relief and foster a better understanding of your emotions. They might even share their own experiences and coping mechanisms.

Confront Insecurities

Envy often stems from insecurities about our own worth and success. By identifying and confronting these insecurities head-on, we can work towards a healthier self-image that isn’t easily shaken by others’ financial victories.

Practice Self-Compassion

Being hard on yourself for feeling envious won’t make the emotions disappear. Instead, practice self-compassion. Acknowledge that it’s human to feel this way and that you’re working towards healthier financial and emotional habits.

Remember, It’s Not The Whole Picture

One crucial aspect to keep in mind is that the financial successes of others are rarely as perfect as they seem. People tend to share their victories but may refrain from disclosing their struggles or failures. Remind yourself that you’re likely seeing just a fraction of their financial story.

Finishing Thoughts

Overcoming financial envy is a process that requires time, introspection, and proactive effort. It’s about shifting your focus from what others have to what you can achieve, recognising the worth in your current standing and the potential of your future. It’s also about coming to terms with the fact that your value is not tied to material wealth or financial status.

It’s important to remember, as renowned author and financial advisor Suze Orman once highlighted, “Personal finance is more personal than it is finance.” Embrace this idea as you navigate through feelings of envy and on your journey to financial contentment.

By employing the strategies discussed, you can steadily lessen the hold financial envy has on you, paving the way for a more appreciative and contented life. Keep moving forward, set your sights on your goals, celebrate your progress, and always be kind to yourself along the way. After all, the true measure of success is personal fulfillment and growth, not just numbers in a bank account.