Jealousy can feel uncomfortable – even shameful. But it's also human. You might feel it when someone else gets the opportunity you’ve been dreaming of, or when their joy highlights something you still deeply want.

This short reflection offers a compassionate reminder: jealousy doesn’t make you bad or ungrateful.

It often points to a dream or desire within you that still matters.

Instead of pushing the feeling away or layering it with guilt, this episode invites you to notice it, name it, and let it move through without judgment.

You're allowed to feel jealous and still be kind to yourself.

00:06

Hey, this is It's Okay If, bite-sized permission slips. I'm Matt Gilhooly, and today's permission, it's okay if you feel jealous of someone else's joy. Jealousy. Ugh, right? It's the feeling we try to hide. We don't want to admit it. We definitely don't want to be that person. But here's the truth. I've been there. You've probably been there.

00:34

Just the other day I was scrolling online and it felt like every other podcaster that I follow was announcing something huge. Winning awards, signing with networks, quitting their day jobs to podcast full time. And I felt it. That twinge, that whisper of, why not me? I love podcasting so much, why does it feel like everyone else is getting there faster?

00:59

And then the shame. Because I do want to celebrate them. I do know how hard they've worked, but I also felt the ache of what I still want for myself. And you know what? I don't think that makes me a bad person. I think, again, it makes me human. Jealousy? It's not always about wanting what they have. Sometimes it's about seeing a part of ourselves that feels stuck, or maybe left behind or still waiting. So today,

01:30

If you feel that twinge when someone else is celebrating instead of beating yourself up for it, what if you just noticed it? What if you just let it be there without shame? Because jealousy isn't the enemy. It's just a signpost pointing us to something inside us that still matters to us. So if you want, tell yourself, I give myself permission to feel jealous and to let that feeling pass through me without shame.

02:00

So that's your permission slip, Tuck it in your pocket, and I'll see you next time.