Envy is no good. No matter what way you cut it… being envious will not lead to contentment or happiness.
I see envy a lot! Sometimes it’s not a big deal. You might have a little envy that is just really a desire to do more. You see someone who has accomplished a lot and you want that for yourself. You don’t sit and dwell on wanting exactly what they have, but you see what the other person has achieved and you want to make that happen for yourself. I don’t think that is all that bad. In that case, your focus is on YOUR goal, not what someone else has.
But that isn’t what envy does most of the time… you see someone that has something you want and you DWELL on just having that something. You see someone pull up in a new Mustang and you can’t shake it. You must have it! Or you see what someone has accomplished physically and you think about being that strong or that ripped. You idolize that person and you just WANT IT!
Envy – Rewards without WORK
Envy often takes the work out of the accomplishment and places it just on the reward. You only see the car. You don’t see the hours of extra work that guy or gal did to earn the $$ to pay for it. You don’t see the savings that had to be accumulated to get there. In a lot of cases, you might be thinking that is the dream life and never see the fact that that car is causing that person to be drowning in debt!
And what about physically… you see another person that has reach a high level of fitness. They are RIPPED! If only I could have that six pack! You don’t see the hours spent prepping and planning food. You don’t feel each rep and each addition of 5 more pounds. You don’t see the early morning or late nights. No you just want to be instantly ripped. They are your goal, but envy won’t get you to that goal.
I think having goals is great! I think having dreams and setting up people that you admire can be really good too. But don’t ever let envy blind you to that hard work. No one is getting to where they are in life without paying a price. And even if you know someone who has a cousin who’s uncle won the lottery… that’s the exception, not the rule! THE RULE is hard work pays off! Not today, not tomorrow, not the next week. It may not be next month or even next year, but it pays off! It’s the sum total of a series of decisions to reach that goal. It’s making each decision, in each day a decision that will move you closer to you goal. It’s tirelessly working and believing what you are working for is worth it.
So don’t envy me or anyone else! I know the work I have put in. It hasn’t always been glamorous. It hasn’t always been easy on me or my family. LOL There have been fights over what I can/won’t eat for dinner. But I had a goal and I still make choices to reach that goal.
Final Note on Body Image
I’ve blogged about this before… but don’t make one person’s body your goal. You have no clue what your body will look like. You might have really straight abs, or you might have asymmetrical ones like me. Aim to be the BEST YOU that you can be. Do you want bigger arms? That is fine good, but do it for you. Don’t pick out a pro bodybuilder (that not only might have a little extra help from special “supps”) for their looks. Be encouraged by that bodybuilder’s work ethic or intensity! That is definitely something you should try to model and shoot for! And those are the character traits that will help you be successful at reaching your goals for your fitness too.
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
