This Is Why It’s Good To Have Friends You Envy

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That person you’re jealous of? You should be friends with them. Maybe it’s their job or their social life that you’re envious of, their outfits or their body. Regardless of what’s turning you into the green monster, know that that person is always better on your side than against you.

I’m jealous of most of my friends. I have friends who are making six-figure salaries while working mostly from their living room couch, friends with Gucci shoes (yes, the loafers with the fur), friends who send me Snapchats of tacos and french fries but are also full-time size-zero models, and those are just the visible things.

I also have friends who are so sassy and sure of themselves that they can talk to any guy at any bar, friends who can cause an entire dinner table of strangers to erupt in laughter, and friends so smart and driven that they’ll have a PhD before I have even signed up for the GRE. My friends terrify me with amazement. And, they make me incredibly jealous.

Having friends that I’m jealous of is usually a net positive experience. They hold me to high standards, remind me of what goals I want to accomplish for myself, and end up being my biggest cheerleaders along the way. When friends possess qualities that you want to achieve for yourself, they are able to break down the fairytale of it all.

My friends with enviable bodies are the ones texting me at 8pm that they need to get to sleep so that they can make it to the gym at 4:30am before they head to work. My friends who are making six figure salaries need to work from home because they’re putting in 12-hour days. Suddenly, I’m not so jealous. (Just kidding, I still am, but knowing what goes into it brings in an element of reality that might not be as obvious if I weren’t friends with this person.)

My friends, then, end up becoming constant life reminders of the things that I want and what I have to do to achieve them. They’re the ones sending me reminders, holding me accountable, and checking in regarding my goals. And once in awhile they’ll let me know that something about my life makes them feel jealous, too.