Jealousy is an emotion with negative connotations all around it. It is usually seen with its green envious friend causing people to cover it up with hate for one another. It’s when someone has something that you want or are working towards already in the palm of their hand while you are struggling to keep it in sight. It is a really sucky emotion, to say the least. Being jealous is hard in any way it comes about.

Happiness, on the other hand, has happy connotations all around it. It is usually seen as yellow, bright sunshine. It makes you warm inside and you want to spread it to others so they can feel as great as you do. It’s when you get something you’ve wanted or worked towards for a long time. It’s when everything seems to be going right in your life. It’s a great emotion in any form it presents itself.

So why not combine the two?

Lately, whenever I see young adults accomplishing great things or when they really have their life together I feel so happy for them – like, go you that is amazing and you are doing what you love and making a career out of that and that’s great. However, at the same time, I am like, why isn’t that me? Why am I stuck here in college being poor and never sleeping?

And so I came up with an oh so creative name for this feeling: Happy Jealousy.

It’s simple; happy jealousy is seeing, hearing, or meeting someone with a whole lot going for them. You are jealous of what they are doing, wearing, saying, anything really. But I feel like now that I am a young adult, just being jealous of other people having a good life and doing what I wish I was doing is petty and not worth my time but at the same time, I am so happy for what they are doing. It’s amazing what some people are working towards. So I use this ‘happy jealousy’ and turn it into motivation, love, and appreciation.

Happy jealousy becomes motivation because if they are around your own age, that means you could be doing what they are doing though it will probably take some work. But it shows that it isn’t impossible because someone is doing it or something similar to whatever your ‘it’ is. (It could be a job, a lifestyle, literally anything). Use them as an example, learn from them and their mistakes. What do you want to do differently from them and find your own way and continue to carry on. Use others’ success to fuel your own.

Happy jealousy can become love and appreciation for others because some of what these people are doing I don’t think I could do, but what they are doing is great. Their success makes me jealous, but their work and how they got there leaves no room except for appreciation and respect.

In today’s world, there is no time and no need for the green, envious, hateful jealousy. Why hate someone for doing what you want to be doing? Why hate someone for having something you want? It makes no sense using up all of your time and energy wishing you were them, having what they have or doing what they do. Work for it yourself. Hate is useless and leads to nothing.

So whether you want to be a scientist, and actress/actor, a business owner or anything in between, having some happy jealousy may just give you the fuel and motivation you need to get there. Use these people as inspiration, learn from what they do and their mistakes. Figure out if you want to do what they do, something similar or your own thing.

Seeing other’s success can be a great motivator for working hard and working towards your own goals. Because if they can do it, you can too.