The color green symbolizes many different things including eco-friendly initiatives, money, certain drugs, and envy. I consider envy a green monster because it leaves turmoil just like any other monster. Coveting someone’s success can unleash the green monster and it’s not pretty. Why do we treat the success of other’s as a threat?

Whenever a threat to one’s own success is posed, a decision is ought to be made. You can either quiet the green monster, or you can unleash it. When this monster is unleashed, it can lead people to do horrible things. The monster pressures people into bad-mouthing someone as an initiative to better their own opportunities.

This monster is subliminal, but found everywhere. In politics, as soon as one candidate advances in the polls, another candidate releases a hurtful commercial bashing their rival. If you ever decide to attend a pageant, you might hear other contestants going on about how it was fixed, and the winner didn’t deserve the title. In the workforce, when a co-worker is promoted, a colleague might retaliate by means of sabotage. Friends are caught gossiping about other friends when their popularity status rises. As a result, friendships, relationships and accomplishments are diminished.

But what happens when we decide to control the inner green monster? When we choose to quiet the little monster, we are choosing to empower rather than to hurt one another. Bashing someone’s success heightens negativity but bolstering a person’s success brings positivity. Rather than turning green with envy when someone obtains something you wish you had, congratulate them. If you are jealous of someone, work to improve yourself. There are much better outcomes when you spend your time bettering yourself rather than bringing other people down.

I have been victimized by the inner-green monster hiding within people who I thought were my friends, and by people I’ve never met. I’m sure at some point everyone has been damaged by an act of envy. I can’t think of a more disappointing feeling than hearing negative things people say about you.

When I hear bad things said about me, it’s hard to not let it consume me. However, if we let the negative comments consume us, then we are surrendering to the green monster. Negativity is too often deployed as a defense tactic. On the offense, rise above the green monsters. Carry on with your success and concentrate on the positivity surrounding you.

When I feel myself turning green with envy, I put myself in the shoes of the person I am envious of. I image what would happen to this person if he or she knew what hurtful things I said out of envy. After reading into my emotions, I realize it’s not fair to diminish other people.

We are all guilty of turning green, but it’s important to act upon situations as respectful as possible. Why do we react with hate? Why are people so quick to judge one another when clearly no one is perfect?