There’s a great Simpsons episode from years ago where Homer was envious of Thomas Edison’s inventions and accomplishments by the time they were the same age. After pursuing Thomas Edison incessantly and failing miserably (as Homer often does), he invents hinged legs on the back of a chair so when he leans back he wouldn’t fall anymore.

It turns out that was just another invention of Edison’s, but, since it wasn’t listed on his inventions list, Bart and Homer rushed to the Thomas Edison museum to destroy the hinged legs that managed to not be seen, despite being on public display, for hundreds of years.

As he’s about to use his electric hammer (one of many failed inventions, including a makeup shotgun that’s hilarious) to destroy the legs and take credit, he notices Thomas Jefferson had a similar chart to Homer’s, but instead comparing himself to Leonardo DaVinci.

He leaves the chair alone, where it’s discovered the next morning, along with the electric hammer, and both inventions are credited to Edison’s millionaire descendants.

Aside from the obvious lesson in there, here are a few other perspectives on envy:

Alexander the Great conquered the known world, and by the time we was my age, he had been dead for over two years.

One of the more memorable moments from my yoga training was when my yogi (an incredibly beautiful blonde woman in her 40’s) told me with the most sincere smile on her face about how she started practicing yoga because she was insecure about her body. 

She followed it up by mentioning that there are advanced yoga poses she knows she’ll never be able to get her body into, and she’s fine with focusing on those she can. She wasn’t some yogic superhero – she was just a person like any other who happened to focus her time on the yoga business.

It’s difficult not to see people who are further along a path than you as being intimidating.

Think about when you’re turning onto a busy street without a light. No matter how many times you do it or how accustomed you get to it, it’s still probably one of the most dangerous things we do in our daily lives. 

These vehicles weighing hundreds, sometimes over a thousand pounds are hurtling toward you at high speeds, and if you don’t turn at the right time, you’re going to cause a huge accident. It’s a nerve-wracking thought, yet we deal with it every day so it’s less and less scary each time.

Envy works in a similar manner. From far away, a person’s life can seem so great, but from up close, it’s likely not much different than yours. I’ve traveled to small towns and big cities for a large portion of my life and met people in a lot of places that are doing much different things with their lives.

At the end of the day, we’re all dealing with being alive and facing death while finding ways to occupy our time. How you decide to spend your time is up to you, and in a world where every action has a consequence, there’s no shame in seeking the comfort of inaction.