Doing the thing looks different than watching someone achieve the thing. Obviously—but we often forget. Maybe this is even a new thought for you. Doing the thing…well, that’s tireless, painful, full of rejection, mistakes, falling flat on your face, feeling worthless, being scared, sleepless nights, anxiety, and at the same time, a fierce gut, unshakable commitment, vision, ego, and an even stronger fear of not achieving the thing. When people achieve the thing—outside people scoff at the ease with which they seemed to get the thing, maybe even say they are not worthy of the thing, say they were just lucky or attractive or worse—people get jealous of other people who get their thing….people even get jealous of other people who get a thing which is not their thing, but a thing that just seems better than whatever thing they have.
I don’t have my thing. I have some things—and like you, I rarely remember to identify and be grateful for them. I often get bitter about other people’s things—I work so hard at my thing, I deserve my thing…well, here’s the thing: Thinking that way doesn’t get you any closer to your thing, and, in fact, only makes you more miserable. The only thing to do is just stay focused on achieving your thing, and work to re-train your brain to be genuinely excited for others when they get their things. Because heaven forbid you ever do get your thing, and then have no one with whom to appreciate it with because they’re all busy being jealous that you got your thing…and the cycle continues.
Just do your thing! And be a good person! That’s all there is!