Are You Sure You Want to Wear That Green?

Your friend Chloë arrives to pick you up. You open the door with a smile that disappears the moment you notice she has the very Coach handbag you’ve wanted forever but simply can’t afford. She walks in, nonplussed, while inside you’re turning 50 Shades of Green. She sets The Purse down and as she does, you notice her well-toned arms. Has she been working out? 60 Shades. You grab your purse—the one you bought at Ross Dress For Less on sale, and follow Chloë to her brand new, VW Beetle Convertible—Red—your all-time favorite color! If it were Christmas, your Green and the Beetle Red would look great. But any green produced by envy just doesn’t cut it. The afternoon to which you were looking forward is now ruined. Why? Because you have a leech sucking on your heart. You want to be happy for your friend, you do, but you just can’t.

You’re not alone. Envy is common, even in Disney movies. Take a look at The Lion King. Scar was so envious of Mufasa—his brother—he ended up killing him, all because he wanted to be king of Pride Rock. In the movie Little Mermaid, Ursula, the Sea Witch, is envious of Ariel, wants her voice. And takes it. And we all know the story of Snow White. Queen Grimhilde is so envious of Snow White’s beauty that she hires her henchmen to kill her.

“Those are fairy tales,” you say. True enough. Envy may not always lead to murder, but in normal, every day life it leads to unhappiness, obsessive thinking, fear, and an overall dis-ease. Envy holds you down until you suffocate in it.

Let’s get to the root of envy:

· Low self-esteem

· Poor self-image

· Insecurity

· Lack of self-confidence

The thing is, you can’t attain any of those things through possessions or achievements. Your esteem, self-image, security, and confidence must come from within. Having an expensive purse, a house by the ocean, or a job making six figures, is not the way. All possessions can be lost in a heartbeat. Don’t attach yourself to things that are temporary. You’re worth more than that. Your value does not depend on what you have or don’t have. You’re valuable as is. A purse doesn’t make you better. What if you are robbed? Without your purse, who are you? Driving a Porsche doesn’t make you a hotshot. What if you total it? Who would you be then? Paul Walker, the Fast & Furious actor, died in his. Who you really are cannot be taken from you. You’re whole now. So turn your Envy off. It’s destructive and useless. It takes away from your amazing self. Be amazing and happy for those who get to borrow some Stuff in this journey.