Someone else’s win doesn’t take a slice out of yours. There’s no shared pie.

Envy runs on an assumption that is almost always false: that recognition is a fixed quantity being divided. In most situations it is not. A friend making the team, getting the grade, or being complimented removes nothing from what is available to you, and the feeling that it does is a very convincing illusion. What it actually removes is your attention from your own work.

When the sting arrives, say the specific congratulation out loud, because it breaks the loop faster than anything else. Then go back to the thing you are building. Being pleased for somebody and wanting the same thing are compatible.