Jealousy

It's easy to look at the behavior of others to justify our feelings. But no matter what other people do or say, we are ultimately responsible for our own feelings. You could probably convince anyone who will listen that another person's behavior is deplorable and it's natural for you to feel the way you do. But isn't that giving them all the power over how you feel? How does giving away your power affect you? Can you do something to reverse that? Without my saying so, of course you know that you can. Intuitively you know that only you are responsible for how you feel.

Jealousy is a tricky one. Often, it is precipitated by a loved one acting inappropriately and not considering your feelings, or by an imagined indiscretion, or by comparing, or wanting, or coveting. More often than not, we create scenarios in our mind to feed this green-eyed monster. Usually, it has little to do with the truth, the real circumstances. Mostly it has to do with the fear of losing something or someone we want-case of our petty ego taking control. And our self esteem is often at issue whether we realize it or not. Because we're so intent on watching and imagining the antics of others, we cannot even see ourselves in the picture.

So the first thing to do when jealousy rears its ugly head is to do an about-face and look in the mirror at yourself. Investigate the source of the feeling. Divorce it from the current target. See how far back it goes. Then admit that at the core of the jealous feeling is love. Focus on that. See how fear gets into the mix to disguise and obscure the truth. Keep focusing on the love. Express those love feelings to the person who has aroused the jealousy. Take a risk. Express yourself, your truth, your love.

Don't expect anything in return. Luxuriate in the pure nature of giving. Withhold nothing. Spend it all. When you do this, love will come back to you tenfold. It may not come from where you're looking, so be prepared and open and available for anything. Don't lock yourself into any corners that you can't move out of. Open your heart wide, and love, not jealousy, will be your reward.