Celebrating Other People’s Money Wins Conditions You For Your Own Success
I remember when I finished college in 2012 and started my first big girl job at AT&T slinging cell phones. My roommate at the time was not so excited for me when I told her I got the job. Weird, right? She had a half ass smile on her face, and I vividly remember her giving me a thumbs up before turning towards the refrigerator.
I went from working in a surf shop earning $10.50 an hour to earning $75k per year. And, I’m not saying that to boast, I’m sharing that because that’s what I shared with my roommate when she asked what my starting salary was going to be, as she continued to blankly stare into the refrigerator.
When I told her, she shut the refrigerator door, said “good for you,” and walked away from me.
Later that week our utility bill was due and so was our internet. Back then, Venmo didn’t exist, so I kindly asked her to pay me for her portion of the utility and internet bill. Her response, “You can afford it with your new job.”
Our friendship was torn apart over my career/money win. And some of you may say, “it was probably something else.” But it wasn’t. Nearly eight years later, she apologized to me for being jealous of my new job when we lived together.
I’m someone who really believes in celebrating other people’s money wins, especially if you want to win at life too.
I find celebrating other people’s money wins to be an absolute life hack to your own success. It’s a practice. A really mindful practice.
For some of you, you may find it easier to twist the narrative to, “wow, I could never have that income,” or “she/he doesn’t deserve that much pay for a role like that.” OR your eyes may just roll to the back of your head and give a phony smile as someone is telling you about their success. I hope not though.
Pay attention to your inner dialogue when listening to someone else’s success. If you’re not happy where you’re at financially or within your career and you cannot be happy for others, you may be projecting.
The good news is, if you don’t like your own story, you can write yourself a new ending. You can start by celebrating other people’s wins. Let me share three reasons why this is so important.
Reason #1: Celebrating other’s wins generates abundance.
Rather than seething with jealousy, praise your friends, family members, and even strangers on their career wins or financial success. I want you to genuinely imagine what it would feel like to have their success. Feel gratitude for their wins. Practice those feelings enough, and I think you’ll find yourself surprised where you may end up.
“Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance ”
The feeling you get for someone else’s success will help you generate the same feelings you need for your own achievements. You too can experience the same success if you can feel and envision another person’s success.
Let me share another quick story with you.
I’ll never forget the day I shared how much I paid for my car in front of over 100,000 people on Instagram. I shared the price of my car solely as an example for why I made the personal decision to finance my car rather than pay cash (a common debate in the personal finance space).
I was shocked at how many people responded with comments like, “you teach personal finance and then buy yourself a $60k car.” I can’t forget the number of eye roll emojis I saw that day in the comment lobby.
It was disheartening because people completely missed the concept of the post which was to share the math behind that decision and the opportunity cost. And they missed it because they were upset about my purchase. Isn’t that fascinating?
How could someone be mad about a purchase of mine that has no impact on their life?
Here I am on a platform giving out free personal finance advice on a daily basis, and I’m scrutinized for how much I paid for my car. But, what about the people who were happy for me? What about the people who understood the lesson I was giving in the post? What about the people who congratulated me on buying my dream car? Those are the people who can set their ego aside and celebrate someone else’s wins.
Reason #2: Celebrating other’s wins kills your ego.
You can put an end to your ego quicker than you may think. By focusing on the wins, accomplishments, and achievements of others, you’ll start to release feelings of jealousy, resentment, and envy.
Instead, you’ll be able to zoom out, escape the “poor me” mindset, and pivot your focus on someone else. By doing this, you’ll have an easier time adopting those feelings to your own visions of success.
Egos root us in superiority, which ultimately makes us miss out on experiences and opportunities that may show up. They prevent us from being better in life, both personally and professionally.
So what can do you do? Every time you catch yourself operating from your ego, do your best to simply notice it. If you’re judging someone, walking away from a situation, censoring yourself, speaking poorly of someone, all you have to do is become self aware of it.
Reason #3: Celebrating other’s wins builds you a wider network
People like people who make them feel good, right? If my roommate showed any form of excitement or joy for me, I probably would have encouraged her to apply for AT&T since they were still hiring. We had been working at the same surf shop together and I would have loved for her to work with me somewhere new.
But (insert shrug), no one wants to be surrounded by people who aren’t happy for them.
Here’s something simple you could say to someone who’s achieved something great: “I’m really happy for you, and I’m excited to see you succeed. You’re going to do incredible things.”
If someone said that to me, I would want them in my circle. When you make someone feel good, it will likely lead you to building more connections with people, which will lead to more opportunities.
Celebrating other’s wins won’t dampen yours.
Reacting with rage, jealousy, dismay, or annoyance won’t benefit you. In fact, it won’t get you anywhere. Which begs these questions….what are you actually upset about? And who are you really mad at?
You’re likely only upset and mad at yourself. You’re not mad at your friends for buying their dream home, or your younger sister who bought themselves a new car, or your friend for starting their dream career. Channeling jealousy into self-acceptance might be your ticket.
When you accept where you’re at and take ownership of it, you’ll easily accept and celebrate others. So, the next time someone announces their great news, make a conscious effort to be happy for them. It may not feel sincere at first, but the more you do it, the more sincere it will become. It’s a practice.
Remind yourself that someone’s success doesn’t reflect on you. It doesn’t make you less than.
Get comfortable enjoying the success of others, and you will increase the likelihood of your own success. It just might make you rich.
Cheers,
LP
