We’ve all done it now and again … Wished you had what another has. Not covet, just wished. I won’t lie. I am ashamed that I have done it more times than I care to admit. Logically, I know that it’s that I shouldn’t, but I still can’t help myself … I see something that someone has and wish that I had one/it also. (Sigh.)

Yeah, I know, I know. Like I said, I can’t help myself sometimes.

Women who don’t have to work, who have all this leisure time to do whatever they want, who have husbands who give them whatever they want, with their perfect appearances, perfect, smart children, expensive cars, perfect bodies, clean houses. My friends that I workout with with their seemingly perfect athletic bodies, who can run for miles, lift enormous amounts of weight, eat whatever they want.

I know … I know that their lives are not as perfect as they seem. I know that appearances presented on the outside are NOT always as they appear on the inside, or as they appear once their front doors are shut. I know that. I know that people lie. I know that sometimes those women with their perfect little lives are not perfect. I know that those athletes who seem to pose endless energy and speed and power, were not always as they were. I know because I’ve had the misfortune to see the other side of some things that I once believed were perfect.  I know this, but I still can’t help but wish … just for a fleeting second, wish. It’s just so different when you’re on the outside trying to look in. The story is not always the same.

Here’s something else that I know … I know that at times, people look at me and think the same thing. I know that there are others out there that covet, or rather wish they had what I have. I can’t help but smirk when I think of that. My life is FAR from perfect, yet there are those out there who believe that it is. I have to say that I do have a blessed life. My family is amazing. I have a great husband. My kids are healthy, funny, and I love them oh so much. I have an education – two Bachelor’s Degrees, a bunch of certifications. I have a good career. I can take care of myself and my family. I have a nice body – not perfect, but rather a work in progress.

I have no idea WHY I’m blogging about such a thing as coveting and envy. I think it’s because I found one of those “Christmas Letters.” You know, the ones that people send out at Christmas time that chronicles the highlights of their year? It made me ask, even though I know what the answer is, “Is her life really that perfect?” I got slightly envious as I reread the letter and I had to laugh because I know that if I ever sent one of those out, it would have to be full of my family’s life’s trials and our comical follies. It would be a positive letter, but written in such a way that you’d know that my family is far from perfect, but we’re doing well and that we’re blessed and happy. It made me think about my life today and how it could be better, but also how it could be WORSE. I do not want for anything. I lead a blessed life and maybe I’m just writing to remind myself of that … and to thank God for everything that I have been blessed with.

There’s really nothing wrong with a little pang of envy now and again. There’s nothing wrong with coveting as long as it’s fleeting and not acted upon. It’s when jealousy and greed step in that the problems arise. We should be happy with what we have been given. There is always room for improvement, so if you don’t like something, change it. If that’s not possible, do your best to change the way you think about it. It’s all about perception. Seriously … Listen, it’s not your circumstances or your situation that determines if you’re happy or successful, or whatever, but rather, it’s your perception, your mindset that determines if you are happy or successful.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes by

Wayne Dyer. He always said that, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.” When I first heard that, I remember what a powerful impact that it had on me. I wish you all a life that is blessed and happy. Remember that we’re not all supposed to be the same, that we’re all programmed differently, that we were all placed on this Earth for a different purpose. Let’s do more work to keep our own homes and family intact, rather than worrying about what the Joneses are doing and trying to keep up with them. We’re all gonna make it out of here, but until then, let’s do the best to help each other out.