As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I have been traveling in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand seeing some wildlife.

One way Keith has kept himself occupied while at sea is by joining the daily golf putting “competition”. (For the record, I have not played. This photo was taken solely for your amusement. The result of this shot was that I knocked the ball down the stairs…. You know whom that didn’t amuse? The people coming up the stairs; at any rate…)

While his success has varied with the rocking of the boat, one thing that has remained consistent is everyone’s elation when someone gets a hole in one. (For the record, Keith has gotten one hole in one….big elation.)

Why am I writing about this today? Because I think we often forget how exciting it can be to see others succeed. Or, more distressing still, we start to believe that others’ success means there will be less success for us.

This simply isn’t true.

Now I recognize that some of you may hold that as a somewhat New Age rama-dama-ding-dong concept but hear me out.

I believe—and am hoping to get you to believe—that there is enough success to go around.

Will that success look the same for everyone?

No.

Is it galling when someone else’s success looks exactly like the success you want for yourself?

You bet it is.

But—to paraphrase a favorite 12-step slogan—envy is misdirected self-pity.

So, my offering to you today is: remind yourself that more people than you might realize do want you to succeed; and that time spent longing for the success of others might keep you from enjoying your own.