I’ve wasted a ridiculous amount of time and energy over the years doing something I regret.
Envying other people. Not so much their possessions or privileges. But their abilities. Their gifts.
Great speakers. Great writers. Great schmoozers. Athletes. Extroverts. Actors.
Instead of being inspired, I’m intimidated. Instead of enjoying, I envy.
Because I want to be like…someone else.
What a colossal waste of time.
Can you relate?
The gifts of others are not a club with which to beat ourselves. Others who exceed us in this or that area are not to be our ghosts, haunting us with a sense of inadequacy.
Beside, they’re probably looking at you and others and experiencing the same gift envy.
I’m just now reading a new biography of Ted Williams, the astonishing Boston Red Sox hitter of days gone by. He was a remarkable athlete. People loved to see him perform. Other ballplayers envied him.
And he had a very difficult personality. His off-the-field life was a mess. There were undoubtedly lowly batboys who had far superior relationship skills.
Growing up, I wished I could be like Ted. Not any more. I have my own DNA, and it’s not his.
We all have our magic, and our goal in life is to discover it, nurture it, and bless others with it. To add value, even if it’s behind the scenes.
That means there are 999 other things that are best left in the hands of others gifted to do them. Knowing that allows us to appreciate, not envy.
Gift envy paralyzes us. It distracts our attention from what we can and should be doing. And nobody’s got time for that!
Discovering your magic is the best way to leave behind the envy of others.
