{"id":13800,"date":"2013-05-02T23:09:31","date_gmt":"2013-05-03T07:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=13800"},"modified":"2013-05-02T23:10:30","modified_gmt":"2013-05-03T07:10:30","slug":"the-gift-of-jealousy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/the-gift-of-jealousy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift of Jealousy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

\u201cTo cure jealousy is to see it for what it is: a dissatisfaction of self.\u00a0 \u2013 Joan Didion
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

You feel all flow immediately blocked.<\/p>\n

Instead of acting from your authentic self or true self, you are reacting to an external happening.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no mistaken this shift.\u00a0 It\u2019s as though your inside went from light to dark.<\/p>\n

Your eyes darken and take on an unmistakable glare.<\/p>\n

A heated tightness takes over your face.<\/p>\n

Your breath shortens and you feel an unmistakable grip.<\/p>\n

Everything has somehow funneled into the tight hold of one powerful emotion and you are at its mercy.<\/p>\n

A destructive emotion<\/b><\/p>\n

I know the above scenario because it has played out in my life on more than one occasion.<\/p>\n

Of all the emotions I\u2019ve felt, I think jealousy can be one of the trickiest and most powerfully destructive emotions of them all.<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t say that I was an overly jealous person but when it happened it was such a strong sensation that it often left me feeling like I\u2019d been attacked by something that did not have my best interests at heart.<\/p>\n

It (jealousy) was so concerned with the dazzle of something beyond me that it would show up and take over.<\/p>\n

Its focus was something someone else had that was perceived as so wonderful that it threw me into a state that made me feel awful.<\/p>\n

Think about that for a moment.<\/p>\n

Perception of something wonderful outside equals powerfully awful feeling inside.<\/p>\n

How profoundly dumb is it to go down that road?<\/p>\n

And yet, at times.<\/p>\n

You, me, and Shakespeare\u2019s Othello have let it get the best of us.<\/p>\n

I was determined to control this destructive emotion and began to think of\u00a0 jealousy as anti spirit, anti health and anti growth.\u00a0 I thought I could completely eliminate it from my life.<\/p>\n

How jealousy can be a gift and help you grow<\/b><\/p>\n

Even though I took that stance and was able to limit its occurrence, I still experience being jealous once in a while.<\/p>\n

As I said, jealousy is tricky and sneaks up on you regardless of your best efforts.<\/p>\n

But I did notice a change the few times I continued to experienced it.<\/p>\n

I noticed that now\u00a0 my jealousy seemed to be in reaction to things that were significant.\u00a0 It was no longer a reaction to material or superficial things.<\/p>\n

I began to realize that the jealousy that I now experienced was actually a gift because it was forcing me to pay attention to something that was really important to me.<\/p>\n

My jealousy was a signpost pointing towards an area of my life that I was limiting myself in.<\/p>\n

The following personal story is one of several that taught me how jealousy can be a gift.<\/p>\n

One day I got a call from a friend announcing her pregnancy.<\/p>\n

Great news!\u00a0 A new mom, a new life, right?<\/p>\n

Well, yeah, sort of.\u00a0 While I was happy for her, the happiness was quickly replaced by the overwhelming presence of jealousy that set up camp smack dab in my chest.<\/p>\n

I was frustrated and disappointed by my reaction.<\/p>\n

This led me to lean into the jealousy and follow it.<\/p>\n

I started to ask myself some key questions.<\/p>\n

Why did I have this reaction?<\/p>\n

What is it pointing to?<\/p>\n

What could I do to address it personally so I could shift the focus back to the happy announcement?<\/p>\n

After I pondered these questions and did some soul searching, I realized that I wanted to have a baby but had been pushing that desire beneath the surface and not acknowledging it because the timing wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n

Although I wasn\u2019t consciously aware of the depth of this desire, it surfaced in the form of jealousy when I heard the announcement.<\/p>\n

My jealous reaction was so powerful that it pointed me towards a desire held beneath the surface of my awareness.\u00a0 Ultimately this awareness led to my own pregnancy and a beautiful baby.\u00a0\u00a0 To this day, I am thankful to my jealous reaction because it forced me to wake up.\u00a0 In that situation jealousy really did have my best interests at heart.<\/p>\n

Here are five questions that I ask myself when I have a jealous reaction:<\/p>\n

5 questions to ask to find the hidden gift in your jealous reaction<\/b><\/p>\n

-Why did I have such a powerfully jealous reaction?<\/p>\n

-What is this jealous reaction pointing to? Am I not aware of a hidden desire?<\/p>\n

-Is the object of my jealousy something I am willing to concentrate on and work for or is it just a momentary want triggered by an outside source?<\/p>\n

-What steps can I take to remove blocks and grow towards manifesting this desire?<\/p>\n

-How can I manage this reaction and shift the experience from destructive to constructive.<\/p>\n

Jealousy can be powerfully destructive but it also can be a gift<\/b>.<\/p>\n

The next time you experience a jealous reaction be sure to ask the powerful questions necessary for finding the hidden gift in your jealous reaction.<\/p>\n

Sheila McCann is the creator of the Rainbow Framework<\/a> a universal framework for life, love, wealth, creativity.\u00a0 One look and you’ll get life in a big way. \u00a0Pop on over and get your\u00a0free rainbow framework e-book and visual.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The next time you experience a jealous reaction be sure to ask the powerful questions necessary for finding the hidden gift in your jealous reaction. 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