“One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others.” Archibald Rutledge 

Yesterday I wrote about consoling our women friends. Sometimes consoling friends comes easier than celebrating them. Some of us struggle with wanting what someone else has more than we care to admit. 

I’m not sure when it happened, but a long time ago I stopped envying others and started being happy for them. In the beginning, I faked the celebrations until the day I felt genuinely happy for a friend who won an award for her traditionally published book. 

I’d like to take credit for my change of heart, but the gift of celebrating others came straight from God. All I had to do was be willing. 

In her book You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay wrote about celebrating others. She told the story of Reverend Ike, a popular evangelist from New York City. Although people criticized his “blessing plan” and compared it to prosperity ministries, I appreciated reading about his celebratory attitude. If he saw people succeeding, he said to himself, “Isn’t it wonderful they have so much abundance? There is plenty for all of us.”  

When my friend admitted she couldn’t get beyond her envy, I already knew that about her. She was so much farther along in her writing and publishing journey than most of us, but she couldn’t celebrate with fellow writers even their small steps. 

Another accomplished writer friend turned out to be one of my mentors. I respected how she consistently celebrated other’s accomplishments even when they went beyond her own. She mentored me as much about my attitude as my writing. 

Choosing which friend to be like wasn’t “rocket surgery.” It felt great to be happy for others and it seemed to bring more good stuff my way too. 

In This Together,
Kim