Status Envy ' Dangerous Territory or Necessary Push?

But so and so drives that'.

And so and so got that job'..

I heard so and so makes $100k per year'..

They are so rich!

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Have you heard someone close to you make any of the above statements?

Better yet, have you found yourself saying any of those? Be honest.

We all suffer from some sort of status envy. If you're one of the lucky ones that doesn't, congrats.

Recently I did a guest post and video for my buddy Baker from Man Vs. Debt where I talked about the danger of comparing yourself to others. (the video is below; if you can't see it, click here)

The quick summary of the post is where I express how dangerous it can be if you start comparing yourself financially to what other people have, drive, buy, eat, and live.

If you fall into that trap of being too envious, you can compromise yourself and your family.

I see people do it all the time sinking themselves into mountains of debt just to make themselves feel like they fit in.

Is it dangerous?   Absolutely!

It it always dangerous?   Maybe not.

At least that's what Kathryn aka 'Makin Sense Babe' believes in her rebuttal video to mine.

First, I would like to say how awesome it is that someone actually took the time to challenge my point of view.   Love it!

Kathryn contends in her video that it's healthy to have some status envy saying,

You can't be a halfway motivated person and not have a little bit of status envy.

You can see the rest of her video below:

So is she right? Is it good to have some status envy?

From an entrepreneurial/ambitious standpoint, it's hard not to agree with her. A lot what motivates me today is seeing what others have accomplished and seeing if I can replicate them ' and better yet ' beat them.

Is that a slippery slope?

It sure can be.

Just as people can fall into financial problems by succumbing to status envy, it's very easily done when you start neglecting the important things in life (friends, family, God) just to get ahead and make a quick buck.

Unfortunately, I've seen much of that firsthand, too.

So what's the right answer?

I don't think there's really a clear cut yes or no answer. I think both sides make a strong case. It's just important to not let any kind of envy consume you.