How to stop being jealous of other people's success
Are you jealous of other people's success?
Have you ever scrolled through LinkedIn or Instagram, seen someone else’s big win and felt that uncomfortable pang of jealousy? Maybe a colleague landed a major client, a peer launched a successful product, or someone in your network just hit a milestone and won an award you’ve been working toward for years and their success makes you question your own.
It’s okay! Those feelings are more common than you think. Jealousy in business doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you human but if it goes unchecked it can lead to unnecessary stagnation and a negative mindset.
As a personal branding coach, I often talk with entrepreneurs and professionals who struggle with this quietly. They feel ashamed or confused about why someone else's success triggers self-doubt or discomfort. Jealousy is a natural emotional response and when you learn how to manage it, it can actually become a catalyst for your growth.
The first step to overcoming jealousy is understanding where it’s coming from. Ask yourself:
Why am I feeling this way?
Am I genuinely happy with the effort I’m putting into my own journey?
Is this emotion revealing something I’ve been neglecting or avoiding in my own goals?
Jealousy often stems from comparison, and comparison is a mental trap. It shifts your focus away from your own progress and places it on someone else's timeline; a timeline you don’t fully understand.
One of the biggest pitfalls in business and personal branding is getting distracted by what everyone else is doing. When you compare yourself to other people, you lose sight of your own mission. You start trying to measure success based on someone else's strategy or pace when their path is their path and not yours.
Jealousy becomes toxic when it turns into resentment and that resentment can cloud your vision, damage relationships and even stunt your growth. But when you recognize jealousy as a signal (not a flaw) you can shift your mindset from jealousy to inspiration.
Instead of letting jealousy eat away at your confidence let it highlight what you truly want. That feeling might be pointing you toward a goal you’ve been too afraid to chase or maybe it’s revealing a gap in your own strategy that needs attention.
Instead of comparing yourself ask:
What can I learn from their success?
How can I use this emotion to double down on my own vision?
With self-awareness and honesty, you can turn jealousy into motivation and when you do, you’ll find yourself making stronger connections, building your network with more authenticity, and showing up with a clearer sense of purpose.
Jealousy doesn’t have to be the enemy of success it can be a stepping stone. Watch the video below where I dive deeper into this topic and share practical tips to shift your mindset and unlock real growth. If this resonates with you, drop a comment and let’s start a conversation.