Who do you envy?

Have you ever watched a movie, met a person or seen something on TV and thought to yourself, “I wish I were them!”

They say that envy holds a special place as one of the Seven Deadly Sins*; and if that sin were analgous to unbridaled attachment, it would surely bring about some deep suffering and sorrow. Though, one could argue, "what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger..."

Some people I personally envy: Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Tony Stark, Rusty Ryan and Nathan Drake (just to name a few). I envy Steve Jobs for his commitment to excellence, Elon Musk for his genius, Joe Rogan for being a woke-warrior, Tony Stark for his badass nature, Rusty Ryan for his suave guile, and Nathan Drake for his bravado.

You see, the trick is to not simply just envy each of these individuals for the sake of envying them (that would only lead you down a dark path of dead-end despair), the trick is to take what you like from each of these individuals and build up a character for yourself of who you’d like to become.

Envy is the precursor for inspiration. What we envy, we inevitably want to become. However, envy can take you down two very different paths; one, towards the pit of dead-end despair, longing for who you only want to be, or (via the road less travelled) the impetus for who you aspire to become. Always look to be inspired and do not become stuck in the loop of what you lack. Take the traits you wish to espouse and disregard the rest!

If your life were a well thought out and elaborate video game (or some blockbuster hit movie) which character would you want to portray? Become that person. Envy those who you believe to be doing great things and let those actions inspire you to become better.

The truth is, it's all a story — and the storyteller? Well, that’s you.

—start to take some ownership back into your life.