Personally, my issues have been with jealousy more than with envy. I strongly believe that there are no such things as negative emotions – the only thing negative or positive is what we do with those emotions. I appreciate this article because it points out that we can learn from our uncomfortable emotions, perhaps more than we can from our joyful emotions.

When I am jealous, I understand that I am afraid of losing something I value, and if I'm able to stay centered and balanced, I can use this emotions as a signpost that reminds me to appreciate the thing I value, without getting lost in the fear. I can't always do it, but I'm getting better! Thanks for the great article!

This post was mentioned on Twitter by ortizee21ios08: RT @tinybuddha 4 Ways to Use Jealousy for Growth and Personal Gain http://is.gd/7V2BQ…

As to whether or not passion and purpose obliterate envy, I suspect that varies from person to person. We all experience and work through feelings differently based on a number of different factors.

Thank you for the thought-provoking commentary!

I heartily agree that envy can be used as a personal carrot-on-a-stick enticement to achieve something positive, but even then envy is a distraction. You are taking the time to compare, which is a form of division. This is well used, while searching for what one really wants.

If you are lucky enough to be in touch with your purpose and know what you want, envy won't work anymore. The passion takes over and burns all comparisons away.