How to Be Happy For Your Friends Without Being Jealous

My long time college buddy got married recently. My friend, Bob, was twenty eight years old. There were many days that my group of friends never thought our friend would get married. He was single for many days and when he did have a relationship it was usually just a physical thing that didn't last long. After years as a bachelor he now appears to have 'the good life.' He finished school and has a good job making more that 30k a year. He recently purchased his first home. And now he is married. Ironically some of the single guys in our group of friends showed some signs of being jealous of Bob. They realized there were some things that he had accomplished that they had not. So I began to wonder, how can you be happy for your friends without being jealous of their accomplishments? Here are a few ideas.

Most people are jealous for one simple reason. They are not happy with their own life. They see others accomplishing things that they would like to accomplish. The reality is if you don't won't to be jealous you have to begin to evaluate your own life. What is it that you want to accomplish? You have to ask yourself "Why haven't I accomplished these things yet?" Being honest with yourself is the key here. If you want to reach your goals you have to determine why you have failed in the past or what is keeping you from getting where you want to be. Finally you need to determine what it will take to reach your goal.

Avoiding jealousy also begins with a change in attitude. For some of the single members of my group of friends, they had to decide that they would continue to be happy in their own life while they try to meet that special person. This is often the key when avoiding jealousy. It's not always about how you get there or when you get there, as much as if you get there. You have to learn to be content as you continue to push toward your goal.

Being happy for others is not always easy. It is a feeling that often takes practice. You must learn to congratulate others. Attend special events for them like weddings or house warming parties and so on. Being happy for your friends is a challenge that requires you to put your personal disappointments to the side. You can be happy for a friends accomplishment while working on your own.

Learning to be happy for others is not always easy. It is however, usually rewarding. If you learn to be happy for those you care about the most, you often will have a much better friend. Continue to stay focused on your personal goals but be a good friend to your friends.