Is overcoming jealousy a challenge for you when comparing yourself to others?

It’s time to speak the truth to each other.

Does it drive you crazy when you work super hard offering your products to others only to constantly hear “I’m not interested” and yet your colleagues in your sideline keep moving up the leadership ladder every few months?

Perhaps you feel that jealousy streak crawling up your back when you read an email about who sponsored the most last month.

The Lord cautions us repeatedly in the Bible about the dangers of jealousy and envy. Proverbs 14:30 says “A peaceful mind gives life to the body, but jealousy rots the bones.” (CEB) Today I want us to look at several things to help us overcome our tendency to feel a twinge of jealousy (ahem . . . or maybe an avalanche!)

Overcoming jealousy is crucial to being in the right frame of mind to grow your home business.

You cannot operate from a basis of “need” or “lack.” It is good for us to operate from a basis of “abundance.” God gives to us abundantly, right?

Check it out this short video that has a poignant twist to it:

 

If you are like me, you were feeling sorry for the poor boy with the beat up shoes. Perhaps you thought (like I did) that you were going to witness the rich boy giving his shoes to the poor boy and seeing his happy reaction.

 Am I right?

In fact, when I first watched it, I wasn’t thinking at all about this little boy’s need to overcome jealousy.

Of course not! The poor boy needed new shoes!

As the video clearly illustrates, things are not as they seem to be.

Here are 4 powerful lessons for overcoming jealousy when comparing yourself to others in your home business (or in life for that matter):

Lesson 1: Stop comparing yourself to others. Don’t try to be someone else. Be you! You are unique with your own special gifts that others don’t have. The world needs you.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 (NASV) God has created you and me for good works! Walk in them!

Lesson 2: God tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15) So give your successful colleague a high five and a pat on the back! Your turn will come. Be quick to congratulate others’ successes. It will make you feel great inside to truly rejoice in their victories.

Lesson 3: Concentrate your energies on what you do have. Don’t waste your emotional energy on wishing things were different. Take action on what you can do. You want to be sure you are focusing on the right things.

Lesson 4: Be thankful. Gratitude fuels positive thinking and positive thinking is needed for a building a successful business . . . and life, for that matter. Have you ever asked “what is God’s will for me?” There is one thing that we KNOW is His will for us . . . giving thanks! I Thessalonians 5:18 says  “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Healthy living embraces this truth of having a grateful heart all the time.

How are you overcoming jealousy and capitalizing on your own strengths?

First published: Jan. 2014

Updated: Feb. 2019