Envy is Not a Tool For Happiness

Every single one of us owns something that we don’t feel too great about. Whether it’s a house that we feel is ugly, a treadmill that barely works, kitchen cabinets from the 1970s, or a watch that is only right twice per day, we all own something that we are not too fond of.

For me, it’s a Chevy Malibu that has 180,000 miles on it. This car has a cracked windshield, a gap in the passenger door that lets water in when it rains, and a sound coming from the engine that is getting louder every month. I don’t love this car.

However, I am not in a rush to buy a newer car. Instead, I am planning to keep my car for a little bit longer because it gets me where I need to go, is fairly comfortable to drive, and is pretty good on gas mileage. But even more than all of this, the main reason I am keeping this car and was even able to buy this car in the first place is because I don’t feel jealous or envious of other people’s much newer cars. Instead, I am satisfied with what I have.

It would certainly be easy to feel envious about other people’s cars. At my work, I see people getting newer cars all of the time that are much nicer than mine. If I really cared about other people having a nicer car than me, I could rationalize that I work really hard and am responsible with my money, so I deserve a newer car.

I probably wouldn’t rationalize that I need a new car because I know that buying a new car is an absolute financial disaster, but I would definitely be able to rationalize that I need a much nicer used car. I may even get caught in the habit of buying a nicer, used car every three years or so if I really cared about other people’s cars. After I did this for a few years, I may start to lease a new car because then my car would finally be as nice or even nicer than most of the cars in the parking lot at work.

But then, a co-worker would buy a new $60,000 truck. Of course, I deserve a nicer truck than that guy, so I would buy a $70,000 truck. After owning the truck for 4 months, a friend of mine would buy a Tesla Model S, and I would still be jealous!!! 

No matter what car I get, there is always a nicer and better car to buy. I could own a fleet of cars that each cost $100,000 or more, but there would always be a little part of me that wants better cars. The only way that I can be truly happy with my car or anything else in my life, is to not worry about what other people around me have.

My car cost $5,000 because I bought it for a great deal using Craigslist, and I am extremely satisfied with it. Even though other people have nicer cars, I definitely don’t worry about their car being nicer than mine, because I don’t derive my happiness from the stuff that I own. I also don’t get envious when my friends, co-workers, or neighbors have nicer stuff than me.

Someone will always have nicer stuff than me!

However, even though someone will always have nicer stuff than me and nicer stuff than you, we should not be envious of the stuff that other people have. If we don’t envy other people’s stuff, then, and only then, will we truly be content with what we have.

What are you satisfied about? Let us know in the comments below.

And thanks for reading!

~Nathan

Let’s keep living a great life … with the help of money. So what’s next?

• You can travel for free by using rewards credit cards.
• You can get motivated and get out of debt.
• You can check out the next post or the previous post and continue to learn.

But no matter what you decide to do, let’s leave the ordinary behind and take action today!